Leveled
by Marine Amber
Summary: Leonardo is used to being ignored, feared, hated, but as the son of Oroku Saki, there isn't much he can do. Three brothers from New York however, could change his life. If only he would let them. Human AU.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! This is my first Ninja Turtles story, and focuses mostly on my favorite Leo. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to review to support the story and help me fix up some things. Enjoy!**

I could still remember the days when my father actually cared about me. He laughed with me, smiled at me, and was with me whenever he could. But at the same time, he had sort of a distant look in his eyes. As if he was only doing things with me for a reason.

But I was so young at the time that I wouldn't give it a second thought. I would just brush it off and smile back at him. I was so naïve.

Now I understand what my father is. He is a murderer. One who enjoys seeing pain; one who feels the need to. And I am like him. I don't want to be, I try not to be.

I try to be respectful to everyone I meet and help those who need it. However, with my father starting to act colder and rash to me I couldn't help it. I spread those same hateful feelings that he showed me to others. It's no wonder I have no friends. After all, being friends with someone who has a dad that practically terrorizes any stranger, heck even family, is not enjoyable in the least. So I got used to it.

My father was cold to me, I was cold to others, and they were cold back to me. It was an endless cycle that would never stop, and had been going on since I was seven. Now I'm fifteen.

The only times my father would ever actually spend time with now is when he forces me to train. Or worse. But he expects me to continue in his footsteps as the next to lead the Foot Clan and control his business. I don't want to, but I don't really have a choice.

My name is Leonardo. I am the son of the world-renowned Oroku Saki. He is feared by many, and so I am as well. After all, the only difference between us is his golden-brown eyes, and my cobalt blue ones. Other than that, we seem to be exactly the same with are hard expressions. I think he was born with his, but mine just happened to grow like how my hatred burns for him now.

As the founder and head person, honestly I couldn't care less what his position is exactly called; he has to travel a lot. Of course as his only son, I have to follow along everywhere.

I was born in Japan to him and an Asian-American named Teng Shin. I remember when I was still young and he would tell me about her. She had died from giving birth to me. That might be the reason, or at least one of them, of why he hates me.

For the first four years of my life, I grew up in Japan. I had started my training around that time too. It was brutal, but my father insisted it was important so I could protect my Clan. So I went along with it. I thought of the Clan as my family, even though they didn't care about me. I did say I was naïve didn't I?

After Japan, we moved to Norway so my father could establish a business contract of some sort. I know now it was signed because he practically threatened the company to do it or else. I would have signed the contract too.

Less than a month later we moved to Germany, then France, Spain, and finally the U.S. That was three years.

We still live in the U.S. today. I like it better here too. My father isn't around as much. Isn't wonderful to hear how much a child enjoys being alone? Especially the son of a monster; one who hurts his own child though I am a teenager now.

The first time he ever physically hurt me out of training was at age nine. I was being disobedient since I had just made some friends when my father announced we were moving. I yelled at him and said some pretty bad things, and his anger got the better of him. He slapped me hard on the cheek, leaving a red mark. I should have shut up, but again I was way too naïve for my own good.

I still have the faint scar on the left side of my face that runs from under my temple to my mid-cheek close to the eye. I can still feel the blinding pain from the sharp knife and my screams of agonizing pain. But the thing that hurts the most is that he seemed _pleased _by what he did. His words gripped my heart and made my blood run cold.

_If you thought that was painful, you are wrong. The world is full of pain and suffering. You must endure it, and be the one that gives it to others. Then you will be strong. More pain worse than that will surely come soon to you._

After that incident, I never talked back to him again. Now I just speak to him with forced respect, because even the thought of trying to be honorable with the man makes me sick.

So that is how my life is. I listen and do as my father says so that I can get out of the worst from his painful torments. Never do I question or try to go against him in fear of how he may punish me. There is still the branding.

Because of my father, I am now a cold teen with a hard outer shell that I won't let anyone tear down. I will be weak then. And I cannot afford to be weak.

Every school I go to is the same. Do homework, go home, and make no connections with anyone. It'll only be trouble if I do, and besides, everyone tries to avoid me. I am too much like my father. And I will not go against my father, ever. It terrifies me that I may become exactly like him.

But for now, I am trapped. Once again we are moving, to New York City this time. Hopefully it'll be different, but that's like asking a starving lion to leave its fresh prey alone. So I'm not expecting anything than what I'm used to. Of course three brothers could change that.


	2. Chapter 1: Dreads and Misfortunes

**The first chapter is here, and it's earlier than I expected. Thank you to all who reviewed, favorite, and followed! It is greatly appreciated and makes me want to write more. The first few chapters are going to be pretty short, but they will get longer as the story progresses, I promise. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners. **

The faint ticking of a wall clock awakened an incredibly tired Leonardo. He grumbled as he pushed himself up and yawned. His eyes wandered around his dark room before settling on the clock hanging along the wall. Squinting his eyes to see it better, he read 5:46.

_Time to get up._ The teen thought.

Slowly Leonardo got out of bed and stretched to tell his body to wake up. He lazily picked out some clothes before heading to the bathroom to shower and dress.

After a refreshing and awakening rinse, Leonardo sauntered down the steps to the kitchen. He calmly grabbed his regular cereal and poured some milk onto it. As he started eating, an all too familiar gruff voice sounded from the front door.

_Must be another phone call. _Leonardo thought to himself as he started to eat. _It's a wonder he even answers it at all._

"Leonardo. We must speak." The snarl broke through the teen's thoughts. He looked up at his menacing father, who had suddenly appeared before him, but hey. He was a ninja. "It is a matter of business."

_Of course it is. You would never talk to me about going to Disneyland._ Leonardo growled to himself.

But of course disrespecting his father wasn't something Leonardo liked to do often so he instead answered politely. "Yes father?"

Oroku Saki narrowed his golden eyes as if trying to see if his son was being polite or sarcastic. "Because of problems my impudent employees couldn't handle, and it will give me a better chance at enlarging the business, we are moving to New York."

Leonardo almost spit out his mouth full of cereal and milk. _New York?_ Why New York of all places? It was practically across the country, and surely there were no mansions in the city. If it was the city, but guessing since his father constantly moved to large cities, it probably was.

"New York City? Isn't that a bit sudden?" Leonardo asked, trying to keep his temper in check. He did that a lot. It was said bottling anger was wrong, but if he let it out, trouble would definitely come. So he kept his emotions unreadable.

Saki frowned. "Actually, I had been planning to move to New York for awhile now, but this made us have to leave sooner."

Leonardo grit his teeth. _Of course I wasn't consulted about moving. No, don't bother asking me about moving to one of the largest cities across the country when school has already started. I honestly wouldn't care._ He thought bitterly, trying not to glare at his father.

Instead of saying what he wanted to say, he simply asked. "And when had you wanted to move to New York?" It took lots of self-control to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I've been thinking about it for a few months now, and I planned on us moving in about three. Fortunately, this will help greatly for me to improve the Oroku Industries. You should be grateful to me for making your future better than any others. You will rule over the company one day, and this move will help us."

Suppressing a sigh, Leonardo questioned. "So, when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

Flying alone with your dad in his private Jet to New York City probably sounds like the coolest thing ever to any young boy. But when your dad has been the only reason you have no friends, it's hell.

Leonardo tried to ignore the growls and snarls of his father talking on his phone to some client of worker or whatever, but his headphones and calming music just couldn't block the noise. His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced out the window. Swiftly he turned back to facing the seat in front of him as a familiar dread spread through him. Heights were definitely Leonardo's weakness. It reminded him of a night long ago…

* * *

A young eight-year-old Leonardo cowered behind his father. His sobs rushed through the pounding rain.

"Dad please! I-It's too scary out here!" He cried. Oroku Saki wouldn't have any of it. A snarl rested on his face.

"You will stay out here until your stupid fear of storms is gone! I don't care if you're scared, you will destroy this weakness!" The man snapped at his son. And with that, he quickly left the roof by leaping off it of it, it seemed, of his three story mansion, leaving his crying son to sleep on the roof during a storm.

Leonardo's howls rang through the air until they were silenced by a loud bang of thunder, making the boy yelp in fear. His cries faded into whimpers as the storm carried on. Only the flashes of lightning allowed him to see through the pitch black.

Slowly he began to crawl across the roof to where he saw his father drop. As Leonardo peered over the edge, lightning suddenly struck a nearby tree. The deafening sound made him shoot into the air, and he slipped off the edge faster than he could shout out in terror.

Leonardo screamed before he managed to grip the gutter. He let out a cry at the sudden pull from quickly grabbing something and the rest of his body pulling him down. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the ground. Instantly, his stomach crawled up to his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut. If he let go, he would die.

Leonardo stayed that way throughout the night, until early morning before dawn, his father pulled him up. From that day forward, he was never afraid of storms again. However, he gained another fear. One that had a better chance of taking his life.

* * *

Leonardo brooded in his seat from not being able to move and forced to listen to his father grumble and occasionally shout to people on the phone. The long trip also gave him plenty of time to figure out dozens of ways something could go wrong, and everyone on the plane would plummet to their deaths. It was probably the most pleasant thing any child could ask for.

The sound of the pilot announcing to his two passengers that it was time to put their seatbelts on to land, sounded like angels singing to Leonardo. He quickly obeyed and heaved a large sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his father also obey. Oroku Saki though, was still on a phone and grumbling to someone now.

Leonardo rolled his eyes, and risked another glance out the window to see a large city with towering skyscrapers in the distance. A groan escaped him.

_Hello New York City._

**I've decided on using some flashbacks in each chapter so you can see why Leonardo is so different than what he is supposed to be. Feel free to review to tell me your thoughts on it.**


	3. Chapter 2: Woes of School

**The second chapter and third installment of the story is here. I've been pretty busy lately, so it may not be the best, but I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

A loud beeping sound instantly awoke Leonardo. He snarled and used his fist to pound the mechanical device, meaning to turn it off but instead, the machine broke at the teen's rage. A groan escaped his lips as he realized how much he was beginning to remind himself of his father.

_First I'm smashing alarm clocks, and next I'll be pounding a desk in an office._

The thought made him shiver. Leonardo grumbled as he pushed himself up to sit on his twin-sized dark blue bed. Today was the first day of another new school. And so far, New York City wasn't looking to promising. The streets were constantly packed with people and cars. Annoying honks and yells littered the air if one were to stand outside for even a few seconds. The sky could hardly be seen because of all the ridiculously large buildings. Fortunately, the new mansion was located outside the city, so the noises were usually pretty faint, and people could generally feel the power of Oroku Saki nearby so they avoided the street if possible.

The black-haired teen picked out a pair of new jeans, dark blue shirt, and a black jacket before walking towards the bathroom. It was important for him to dress nicely and in a menacing way, at least that's what his father said. Just glaring at people with his dark blue eyes usually spooked them. Anyone could recognize the look that Oroku Saki frequently gave on the news and in conferences. It was a gift.

After a warm shower and getting dressed, Leonardo slowly dragged his feet on the ground, dreading starting school for a thousandth time.

_At least I don't have to train in the morning._ He muttered to himself. He only had brutal trainings in the evenings, which generally lasted for at least four hours. On his father's good nights, he would tell Leonardo that he could train only four instead of longer. So training was always five hours, though Saki insisted it was only four. Leonardo tried to tell himself that brutal training would help make him a better ninja, but he always dreaded spending time with this sensei/father.

Gradually, gathering all he needed for school, Leonardo trudged out the door, not pleased with the idea of going to school. Of course the forecast was dreary and cloudy. _Just like my mood._ He thought bitterly.

A dark limousine that had been driven by the same stern-faced old man that worked for Oroku Saki for years, was waiting to take Leonardo to school. The Saki Industries logo was embedded on both sides of the vehicle as if trying to challenge any cars to dare cut it off. Let's just say, it never happened.

_One day, I'll have my own car. And Mr. Grumpy Von Doom won't have to drive me._ The thought lightened Leonardo's mood, but just a bit. _Only a few months._

As he stepped into the back, the driver, whatever his real name was, gave him a glare through the rearview mirror. Leonardo tried to ignore the look, knowing it was useless to try and beat Mr. Doom in a staring contest. Doom turned back to the front to watch his driving with a sneer.

The drive lasted a good fifteen minutes of quiet. An almost tense air had settled in the air, but since his chauffeur practically loathed him to the core, it was incredibly light.

_Must be thinking about me getting a driver's license. _Leonardo thought bitterly to himself with a small chuckle.

The sound of a car door opening caught the attention of several high school kids who had been chatting pleasantly outside. Instantly silence spread on the campus as a very familiar, if somewhat shorter, person stepped out of the limousine. Leonardo looked at the crowd, faintly hoping for no one to notice him, but of course being the son of the founder of Saki Industries, everyone glanced over at the teen.

It felt like yesterday when he started kindergarten and received the same looks, but back then he hadn't known his father like he did now.

* * *

Little, cheerful Leonardo popped out of the sleek limo with his dark blue eyes shining. He squealed seeing all the children his age that he could befriend. It would be wonderful for him to finally have a friend. As he impatiently waited for his father to step out, he caught the eye of a couple of boys his age. He smiled at them and waved. They smiled back and were about to wave when the blood drained from their faces, and their eyes filled with terror at the sinister figure behind the new boy. Both boys recognized the man from television and flinched from the look he was giving them.

Oroku Saki glared at all the children and parents in front of the school, except his own son. He watched in satisfaction as the two boys who had seen him scurried away like mice trying to escape a large cat, preferably the Cheshire Cat.

However, Leonardo's reaction was the opposite. As soon as the two boys rushed off, the bright twinkle in his eyes dimmed. He nearly began to cry as his two would be friends ran away. Before he could ask his dad why they had gone, Saki grabbed his son's small hand in his iron grip.

"Come now. We must get you in school quickly so I can get to work." He ordered in his deep voice. Leonardo nodded his head at his dad and tried to get his little feet to keep up with Saki's long strides.

Soon the two had entered the kindergarten classroom, after passing many more people who Saki glared at and Leonardo tried to befriend. Much to Leonardo's extreme delight, he noticed all the bright colors and kids his age. Many thoughts popped into his head at once. _Will we have training here too? Do we get to play at all? Ooh! Ooh! What if we finally get to learn how to use swords!_

As Leonardo was preoccupied in his own little happy thoughts, Oroku Saki glared daggers at everyone in the room. Children cowered away from the man's deathly look while their parents and the teacher instantly recognized the man. Saki was known for his business as well as his reputation. He was known to do horrible things when something wouldn't go his way, and no one was able to file a lawsuit that his well-paid lawyer couldn't handle. If a demon or even the devil himself had been reincarnated, then it was Saki.

And poor Leonardo had no idea what his dad had done, what he could do. All the child had wanted was to fit in and finally have the chance of having friends. Alas, it wasn't to be. After Saki left, the other children avoided Leonardo, wondering what was wrong with him. Leonardo wondered about that too.

He cried alone that night.

* * *

The memory made Leonardo incredibly annoyed, saddened, but mostly angry. He gave death glares to anyone that looked his way as he stomped towards the entrance to school. Even if Oroku Saki wasn't there, anyone that looked into his son's face wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

In the office, Leonardo walked up to the desk to talk to whomever to enroll and get his schedule. An elderly woman was happily typing away on her computer as the teen stopped by her. She made no movements suggesting she had noticed him, and so he growled at her. Her eyes shot up to give him a glance that said. _Did you really just do that to me?_

But her reaction was the complete opposite. Her eyes widened at him and she gasped at Leonardo. Someone had told her something about Oroku Saki, but she hadn't believed his son would be attending the school. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Leonardo's temper flared and he glared at her with contempt. "I'm here to sign in and get my schedule." He growled at her. She quickly nodded her head and shakily handed him a few sheets. He snatched them away from her and was about to leave, but before he left he said. "Thank you." Still with a snarl on his face he marched out.

As he was walking towards his first class after leaving the office, a place that he decided was not a picnic in the park, he accidentally bumped into someone. Their books and notebooks dropped to the ground and Leonardo turned on the person.

"Watch it." He snapped irritably. The other boy, who Leonardo noticed had brown hair, brown eyes and purple glasses, quickly looked up at him. The boy, who had fallen along with his supplies, didn't seem afraid of him, but rather curious; Leonardo brushed it off. Not bothering to help him, Leonardo trudged off, giving the boy one last scowl.

As he left, the boy on the ground quickly tried to gather his things. Two other boys soon joined him, as if they had melted from the crowd of students now entering the building. One was a short blonde with bright blue eyes, while the other was a little taller than the blonde and had dark brown hair with green eyes. As soon as all the boys had stood up, they looked to where Leonardo had gone.

"Is that the son of Oroku Saki, the Shredder?" The dark brown-haired boy asked with a look of anger on his face.

The taller boy with glasses nodded, a curious glint in his eyes. "Yep." He responded. "That's our guy."

The three exchanged glances before heading out to their classes, each wondering how this new 'threat' would be. It wouldn't be long before they found out.

**Don't forget to review, favorite, or follow to support the story if you like it. More chapters will be up soon.**


	4. Chapter 3: Acquaintanced

**Chapter 3 for you all. I've been pretty busy, but here it is. I hope you enjoy! Constructive and polite reviews are welcomed!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

_Ring!_

Leonardo practically growled at the ceiling to where a bell was in the hallway to signal that class had started. _If only I could smash that too._ He took a deep breath and walked into his first class. The instant he did, a mid-aged teacher with a far too large moustache, looked up at him from his desk. The sight was something like a younger Santa in a school, but without the beard. Mildly disturbing to any young child's eyes.

"Oh good, you made it." He said in a far too high-pitched voice for the large man. Leonardo glanced around the room, surveying his new classmates. A blonde boy caught his attention in the back with his large, blue eyes. He looked way too young to be in high school.

The teacher, whose name was… Mr. _Pudgins _as the board said noticed the newer teen look at his surroundings with a glare on his face. "Now, now young boy! No disrespect in this school you hear?"

Leonardo immediately turned on the man, his eyes burning. "No. _You _hear. I'm not interested in even being here, so leave me alone and you _might _be able to keep your job_._" He snapped, using every ounce of what his father said to make a grown man feel fear. Mr. Pudgins' eyes widened and he shook his head.

"I didn't mean to be rude, er, Mr. Oroku. Please take a seat wherever you'd like!" He hastily said. The class watched in interest at this new student who had so openly challenged and frightened a teacher. The name of their new classmate sent shivers down their spines. Oroku Saki was known everywhere it seemed, just as the man wanted.

Leonardo gave his new teacher a final deathly look before trudging to the back of the classroom and plopping down into an empty desk. All the way he could feel eyes trained on his back and when he turned, he noticed it was the small blonde boy. Leonardo tried to give him a look that said _I'll kill you unless you turn around, _but the boy did something completely opposite. He smiled at Leonardo and gave him a small wave.

Leonardo's eyes widened a bit but had no idea what to do, so instead turned to face the front of the class, trying to ignore the pestering questions of why the boy had been friendly with him. _Why would he try to be friendly to me if he knows I'm the son of Oroku Saki? Who would want to be welcoming to someone like me? Who is that kid?_

"Michelangelo, please pay attention!" Mr. Pudgins voice sounded from the front. All eyes turned to the blonde boy and he gave them a sheepish grin. Leonardo frowned. So his name was Michelangelo? A strange name, but the boy himself seemed pretty strange so it fit.

The rest of class was a blur for Leonardo who listened, but didn't ask any questions. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he liked school. It was a chance for him to get out of the house, but it was also where people were. And people were judgmental. It was something Leonardo had learned at a young age.

A seven-year-old Leonardo sat alone at lunch, but that wasn't new. He was used to being alone, at home and at school. For some reason, no kids wanted to talk or play with him. Leonardo sighed before almost falling out of his seat when someone poked him lightly on the shoulder. He whirled around to see a newer boy with sandy brown hair shyly look at him.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked quietly. Leonardo's face erupted into a smile the size of the sun. His eyes brightened at the prospect of someone finally wanting to befriend him.

"No. Go ahead!" He chirped happily. The new boy smiled back and sat down. Leonardo put his hand up for a handshake. "My name is Leonardo." He said.

The other boy shook Leonardo's hand. "My name is Dustin." He responded. After that, the two quickly became friends. But that wouldn't last.

One day after a few days of knowing each other, Dustin overheard a few kids talking in his class. "I can't believe that new Dustin kid is friends with Leonardo. Who would want to be friends with _him_?

Another boy nodded in agreement. "I know! That Leonardo's dad is Oroku Saki! The first day he practically tried to kill me with a look! And sometimes Leonardo does too!"

A girl with the boys spoke up as well. "That Leonardo is the kid of a monster. He must be one too. That Dustin is pretty stupid to be hanging out with him."

The three kids continued talking. Dustin frowned. He hadn't known Leonardo was the son of Oroku Saki, seeing as he was newer than his black-haired friend. His own father worked for Saki, and was always saying how much he hated the founder. Dustin shook his head. But Leonardo was his friend! And he was nice.

But later that day after school, Dustin learned that his father had been fired. Now he had no job. Dustin was angry, and the next day at school, he confronted Leonardo, wanting to know why his dad had been fired when he always worked hard.

Leonardo saw him walking up to him as he was sitting on a swing. A smile crept onto his face. "Oh hey Dustin!" He chirped happily. Dustin stared appalled at him. How could Leonardo be so happy when his father had fired his own dad!

He glared at Leonardo. "You're no friend of mine. I couldn't be friends with someone as heartless as you." He snarled before walking away to join the kids that he had overheard talking about Leonardo.

Leonardo sadly and confused watched his one and only friend abandon him. He wanted to cry out at his friend, but his feeling of misery was quickly replaced by anger and he ran off.

That night at home, we wept at the loss of his first and only friend, out of anger and misery. A dark thought bloomed in his mind as he promised himself he would never have another friend ever again. They would only hurt him.

The bell rung to signal the end of first period, awakening Leonardo from the memory with a scowl. He gathered his supplies and strolled out of the classroom. Instantly he noticed someone was walking by him. He turned to see the blonde boy again. Up close he could see that Michelangelo had freckles on the bridge of his nose that made him look even younger.

"Hi!" Michelangelo chirped, a blinding smile on his face. "My name is Michelangelo, but you can just call me Mikey!"

Leonardo raised an eyebrow at the other teen, who seemed way too cheerful for his own good. "Um, hi?" He asked.

Mikey continued to smile up at him, which began to make Leonardo feel uncomfortable. "Can I help you?" He asked the smaller boy.

Mikey giggled. "Well you could tell me your name!" He said, once again in that way too cheerful voice that Leonardo wasn't used to.

"Err… My name is Leonardo." He managed to get out. For some strange reason, probably because of the bizarre boy, Leonardo didn't feel angry like he usually did. Instead he felt confused at the friendliness shown towards him. No one was ever this friendly towards him.

"Leonardo? Hmmm…." Mikey asked, rolling the name around in his mind to get used to it. "That's cool! But I think you should go by Leo! It sounds _way _better!"

At once, Leonardo's anger flared, and he turned on the Mikey, surprising him."I don't care what you think. Just leave me alone!" And with that, he left the blonde boy. Mikey just watched him go with a saddened look. He sighed and wished that he hadn't said anything at all.

"Hopefully Donnie and Raph will have better luck than me." Mikey murmured to himself before continuing his trek towards his second class.

Donnie hummed to himself as he started placing his supplies exactly where he wanted them to get ready for class. Earlier he had found out that Leonardo was in his second class, and he was still curious about the son of Saki.

"It'd be nice if he apologized for bumping into me." He muttered to himself. Just then Leonardo entered the classroom, still with his usual scowl on his face. _Hello sunshine._ Donnie thought to himself.

Leonardo was still annoyed at Mikey and couldn't help but show it. He narrowed his eyes as he recognized the boy that had run into him sitting by the only unoccupied desk._ Oh great._ He grumbled to himself.

As Leonardo sat down at the only available and inconvenient desk, the brown haired boy greeted him. "Hi." He said rather pleasantly. "I'm Donatello, but you can call me Don or Donnie for short. Sorry for bumping into you earlier."

Leonardo's mood once again jumbled together. _Donatello? Another weird name. But why is this guy being nice to me too? Doesn't he know who my father is?_

"Um, hi." Leonardo said, trying not to grumble at Don. "I'm Leonardo." _But you're not forgiven; you're probably just trying to trick me._

Don gave him a small smile. "Yeah I know who you are. You're the son of Oroku Saki, right? It's hard not to hear about a super famous businessman's son going to your school."

Leonardo bit his lip. "Yeah, that's me." He sighed before turning his attention to a window. _It's raining._ He noticed with an inner smile. Rain was something he liked.

Don observed Leonardo for a bit before the voice of their science teacher interrupted his thoughts. _Ooh! DNA!_ He thought with a smile, forgetting about the raven-haired boy he was supposed to get to know better.

Leonardo instantly sped out of the room as soon as the bell to end class rung. _Get away from Don before he makes me mad too._ He thought to himself. _And here comes hell._

Lunchtime had never been Leonardo's favorite part of the school day like most kids. It was a time to take a break from studying and talk to your friends. That was exactly why he hated it. Sitting by yourself is not a fun thing, especially when everyone else has at least one person to socialize with.

After grumbling a few not very nice things under his breath, Leonardo picked up some lunch and looked around the cafeteria. His frown deepened at all of the laughs and lacks of empty tables. After searching for a while longer, he spotted a lonely round table in a corner near a window. He almost purred in delight, almost.

Leonardo set his tray down and settled into his seat, not bothering to survey the area, preferring to watch his food. No one would pay him too much attention that way. Unless of course a certain cheerful blonde notices you sitting all by yourself and decides he should sit by you.

Mikey happily made his way to the lonely new teen and practically dropped his tray onto the table, making Leonardo jump and swivel his head up to see who it was. His heart dropped a bit before he sighed.

Mikey, not noticing the other teen's discontent, smiled. "Hi Leo!"

Leonardo growled at him. "It's Leonardo." He hoped Mikey would get it through his head that he did not want a pet name, but a real name. The name Leo might just be some kind of trick.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Leo sounds better. Now why are you sitting all by yourself?" He tried not to flinch from the look Leonardo gave him.

"Because I want to." Leonardo snapped. "Now if you would just leave…"

Mikey shook his head. "No can do! I told my bros I was going to sit by you and here I am! I wouldn't lie to them." He continued seeing Leonardo begin to move. "And I'll just follow you if you move."

Leonardo grumbled before falling back into his seat. "Fine. You can stay." Mikey gave a happy squeal before beginning to talk about a number of things that Leonardo tuned out as he slouched in his seat. _What have I gotten myself into?_

**This was a little longer and we get to see some more humanoid turtles, with plenty of cute Mikey. Feel free to review to help and support the story!**


	5. Chapter 4: Changes in Thought

**Finally updated! I've been busy but my final two golf matches are coming up and after that I should have plenty of time to write. Don't forget to review, fav, and follow! I'm also going to mention that this is based off more of the 2012 version since Leo has blue eyes and some of the characters will show up, but you can think of it as any version.**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

The rest of the school day went pretty uneventful for Leonardo. No strange people decided to visit with him in his other classes. He heaved a sigh of relief when the final bell to let people know school was over. He gave a rare but small smile. _Time to get out of here._

Unfortunately, as soon as Leonardo stepped out of the school, a boy about his height with dark brown hair and green eyes stepped into his path. The glint in his eyes made Leonardo inwardly groan. Every school he went to had one boy like this. One that always tried to challenge the son of Saki. It never ended well.

* * *

A ten-year-old Leonardo scowled at the leader of a group of bullies, after the bully had confronted him after school. He hated bullies; they reminded him of his father. This bully was called Sam who had red hair and was a bit overweight. He had always thought Leonardo was stuck-up because his father was Oroku Saki.

"It's about time I showed you what happens when you mess with me." Sam said with an overconfident look on his chubby face, as if he had already won.

But Leonardo knew Sam would lose. And he would lose badly. Leonardo was training to be a ninja, and had been for about six years now. "I don't want any trouble." He growled, trying not to get into a fight. He didn't like to fight, but would if he had to.

"Are you gonna go run away and cry to someone?" Sam teased. By then, a small group of kids had come to see the exchange. Quite a few had begun to chant 'fight'.

Soon the calls got louder and a larger group had circled around the two boys. Leonardo knew a fight was inevitable. _Please don't let this kid be too prideful._

Sam quickly put his fists up in his fighting stance, while Leonardo's was much more advanced. He spread his feet apart and bent his knees, putting his hands up in the stance that was second-nature to him. The larger boy raised his eyebrows at the look of his raven-haired opponent who looked strangely calm.

"You won't be acting all cool when I land one hit on you." Sam sneered. "You'll really be crying to your big dumb daddy by then."

Leonardo stiffened at the mention of his father, which Sam noticed with a smirk. "Did I hit a nerve princess?" He teased.

_Big mistake._ Leonardo inwardly growled as he charged the unsuspecting redhead. Before Sam could move, Leonardo had come up from behind him and pressed several pressure points on his neck which instantly felled the larger boy. Sam grunted in surprise at the attack and his face landed in a patch of mud. Before he could react to this, Leonardo had struck once again.

Leonardo leapt onto Sam's back and grabbed the large boy's hands, fixing them together. Sam tried to wriggle out of his captor's grip but Leonardo was stronger than he looked.

"I wouldn't mention my father ever again." The blue-eyed boy growled. "It just might be the last thing you do."

"What is going on over here?" A sudden yell from a teacher made all of the kids stop what they were doing. Each quickly scattered, including Leonardo who rushed up from pinning Sam to running away to his limo ride. Only Sam remained, still trying to figure out what exactly had happened and how to explain why he was covered in mud.

* * *

Leonardo's glare smoldered as he locked eyes with the dark brown-hair teen that had stepped into his path. _All I wanted was to go home. Is that too much to ask for?_

"Excuse me." Leonardo growled at the teen who merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"Seriously? And I thought I had a bad attitude." The boy smirked. "The name's Raphael, but my bros call me Raph."

Once again Leonardo was assaulted by mixed emotions. _Who are these people?_ _Why are they all trying to socialize with me and not judge me? Did Saki set this up or something? What if this is all a trick?_

The thoughts jumbled in Leonardo's head, annoying him. He wanted to scream in frustration at all that he was feeling but didn't understand.

"And what do you want with me Raphael?" Leonardo seethed. "You wouldn't happen to know Michelangelo and Donatello by the way?"

Raph's eyebrows furrowed. "Mike and Don? Yeah they're my bros, but I don't want anything with you. Why would you think that?"

Leonardo let out an irritated huff of breathe. _So they are all related. This has to be some kind of trick. Liar._

Raph could see Leonardo struggling to stay calm which confused him. _This Oroku kid has some issues._ He thought.

"Look, Leo is it? Well I have no idea what your beef is, but I was just going to say hi." Raph said with a frown.

"It's _Leonardo. _Now if you would excuse me, I have to be going." He huffed pushing past the other teen. Raph watched him go with a glare.

As Leonardo walked away with a scowl on his face, Raph was soon joined by his brothers.

"He's trouble." Raph said, still scowling. Don patted his shoulder.

"I'm not sure about him, but he seems distant." Don agreed.

Mikey shook his head. "Hey he's not that bad. I'll tell you all about it! Now let's go get some pizza!" He shouted in glee as he started skipping towards his favorite pizza place not bothering to see if his brothers were following.

Raph and Don groaned as they followed their cheerful little brother.

* * *

Leonardo's fists clenched as he tried to focus on his homework while sitting at his small, organized desk in his room. Thoughts probed around in his head as he tried to sort through them. He desperately wanted to find out more about the three teens he met that had so openly spoken to him without so much as a second thought about it. _It's just not natural._

He let out an exasperated sigh, struggling to focus on finishing his assignments before brutal training. By then he would be too exhausted to worry about homework. Unfortunately, Mikey, Don, and Raph kept popping into his head, resulting in Leonardo pushing his biology book aside to lay his head on his desk.

_I just don't get it. _He mentally groaned. _And what is up with calling me Leo?_

Leo. The name sounded so foreign to the teen. He had always been talked to with Leonardo, but Leo had a nice ring to it. _Maybe I should let them call me that?_ _But they could be spies, and I really don't want to risk it. But, what if they're just normal kids that aren't scared of my father and might actually want to be my friends. Do I even still want friends?_

Leonardo scrunched his eyes. Friends. The prospect seemed so promising, so welcoming. **But remember what happened last time? **His conscious growled at him. _No bad conscious, stop sounding like my or our father._

He sighed in annoyance and pounded his head on his desk. Too many thoughts jumbling together were bad and made him talk to himself; since there wasn't anyone to talk to anyway.

_I should go out for awhile. I've been stressing out too much. _

And with that pleasing thought, Leonardo left his room without a sound and a devilish grin on his face.

* * *

Mikey raced up his family's front steps two at a time with enough energy for all of his brothers. Raph stomped after him. "Mikey! Get back here! You owe me for that piece of pizza!" He yelled. Don sighed at his brother's antics and slowly sauntered up the stairs, rolling his eyes.

In the suddenly noisy house filled with rambunctious teenagers, the three brothers quickly raced off to their respective places. Raphael made his way over to flop on the couch and relax for awhile before dinner and training. Michelangelo rushed upstairs to his room to play an assortment of video games that he treasured. Donatello, though wishing he could go to his small lab to work on a number of things, instead had to go do extra training with his father and sensei.

As the tall brunette calmly walked towards the family's small dojo that was almost hidden away, he let out a sigh trying to figure out what he would discuss with his father about the unordinary day at school. Don shook his head before opening the sliding door to the dojo and gently closing it behind him, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Donatello." A deep voice calmly stated. Don gave his father a small smile from where the man sat on the floor. His dark chocolate eyes warmly watched his son as the teen sat down. "How was school today?" He asked.

"Mostly normal with the schoolwork and teachers, but the Oroku kid you were talking about was there." Don began. His father leaned forward a bit, instantly engrossed in the subject. "Go on." His sensei said.

Don nodded and continued. "He seemed a bit rude at first since he bumped into me. Mikey had his first period with him and said he was quiet after a short outburst at the teacher. After first period Mikey tried to talk to him but Leonardo snapped at him and left. In second period, which I had with him, he was a bit more polite but seemed distracted and didn't talk much. He left pretty quickly for lunch, where Mikey joined him. I think that went alright, and none of us had him in any classes after that. After school ended, Raph met up with him. Leo seemed to be in a bad mood then and left quickly. And then we got pizza." Don took a deep breath and glanced at his Sensei to see his reaction.

His Sensei stroked his small beard thoughtfully at his son's words. "Hmm." Don watched his father think over his words. "I cannot tell if this Leonardo is trouble like his father or simply like any other teenager, though I highly doubt the latter. I wish for you and your brothers to continue to find anything about the young Oroku and learn about why they are here, because I believe the business deal was not the reason."

Don stood and gave his father a small bow. "Hai Sensei." He said and turned to leave before he was stopped by his father.

"Before you go, remember this. Until we know why the Orokus are here and we learn more about Leonardo, you must be careful. The Hamatos and Orokus have never gotten along very well and this will be no different. You must not let Leonardo find out you three are Hamatos or there will be trouble. Do you understand?" His father stated.

Don gave another bow to his Sensei. "I do Master Splinter. I will do my best." The tall teen quietly left his room. His father sighed.

"I do hope that you do."

* * *

Leonardo rushed up to the house through the pouring rain. He had been regenerated from his run, but it had been cut short by the thunderstorm that had finally decided to let out all of its might. He grabbed the handle of the front door and pulled it open, only to be surprised by the sight.

Oroku Saki stood by the entrance hall with frown displayed on his face. His eyes met Leonardo's as soon as the drenched teen walked in, and he narrowed his eyes a bit in disapproval.

"You are out late." Saki remarked.

Leonardo shrugged, trying to avoid his father's gaze. "Got a bit overworked. That's all."

"Well, I'm just here to pack a few things. I'm going to have to stay late at the office for a few days." Saki grunted. "Make sure you focus on your school work and training. Bradford will be taking over your training while I'm gone."

Leonardo's heart sank. Chris Bradford was one of Saki's top lieutenants of the Foot Clan, and he ran his own martial arts program. Not to mention he was heartless and disliked children. Xever was worse though. The leaner man was sneaky and wanted and also disliked children. Not very pleasant men.

"Hei father." Leonardo simply replied though he didn't like the idea. "Bradford won't know what hit him."

Oroku Saki gave a rare smile before turning and heading towards his room. Leonardo sighed and rushed upstairs to take a nice shower before he had to start the day over from destroying alarm clocks to being drenched.

A small thought made him cheer up a bit though it was both questionable and unusual.

_At least tomorrow I'll get to see Mikey._

**Don't worry. We'll see plenty more of Mikey, cause he's too cute.**


	6. Chapter 5: All in a Day's Work

**Here's another chapter for you all! I'm going to upload another this weekend, and I promise it will be longer. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

Bright blue eyes popped open from a deep slumber. They wandered excitedly around a bright orange-colored room. Mikey practically hopped out of his bed and raced to his dresser to grab some clothes that were draped on it. Before he could yell 'pizza', Mikey dashed to the only bathroom on the upper floor of his house and slammed the door on the face of another that had been planning to enter the room.

"Mikey!" Raph yelled at his younger brother who had once again beat him to the bathroom. Grumbling a few rude things under his breath, he gave the door one more pound and trudged back towards his room. Giggles erupted from the blonde's mouth as he slowly opened the door to watch his grumpy brother leave. Before the older boy could turn around and scowl at him, Mikey quickly shut the door again.

Meanwhile downstairs, Don was performing his own morning routine which included drowsily stumbling through the kitchen until he reached the coffee maker. Impatiently waiting for his beverage, he thought back over what his Sensei had told him the night before about the Orokus. The words _don't trust _kept ringing in his head. _If only I could get Mikey to do the same._

Don sighed at the thought of how his brother was too trusting for his own good and always wanted to befriend basically everyone he met. _Speaking of Mikey, he should be coming in 3…2…1…_

"Mikey! Get your sorry hide back here!" Raph yelled as he chased Mikey down the stairs and through the kitchen.

Mikey dove behind Don. "Donnie, save me!" He squealed as Raph tried to grab him. Don sighed as he pushed the two apart before Raph tried to strangle Mikey.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Don grumbled. Raph rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like someone hasn't had their coffee yet." The stronger boy teased. Don gave him a glare while Mikey giggled as he sat down.

A loud beep sounded through the kitchen as Don nearly shrieked in delight. "Finally!" He rushed over to his coffee machine and poured himself a cup with a content smile plastered on his face.

"Do you Donatello, take coffee to be your lovely wife?" Mikey teased, sticking his tongue out at his older brother. Raph chuckled at his brothers while Don gave another annoyed sigh.

The sudden sound of clacking brought the three brothers to attention as their Sensei and father walked into the kitchen with his cane. They each stood and gave him a respectful bow, which he gratefully returned.

"Good morning my sons." He said contentedly. "Did you sleep well?"

Each teen nodded their heads, two normally and one with added vigor. "Hei Sensei!" Mikey chirped, his eyes twinkling. "There was lots of pizza in my dreams!"

The other three groaned and shook their heads. "Well, I hope you have a good day as well. Now head on out to school. I don't want you being late." Master Splinter said.

Raph grabbed Mikey by the collar and towed him out of the kitchen and to the front door, much to the whining Michelangelo's displeasure. "Raphie stop it!"

Raph chuckled at his struggling brother and tugged him a bit harder. "You wish."

Master Splinter shook his head in exasperation. Don quickly grabbed his coffee mug but was stopped by his Sensei. "Do not trust. Remember?" The older man asked.

Don nodded. "Hei Sensei." With another swift bow, the teen jogged after his brothers. Master Splinter watched them go with a concerned twinkle in his eyes.

* * *

Leonardo awoke slowly; his eyes lazily wandered around his room as his brain started to reboot. He blinked several times before a yawn overcame him. Habit forced his eyes to where his alarm clock used to reside, before it was smashed, and the teen quickly hopped out of bed, panic starting to rise. _What time is it?_ His brain screamed at him.

Rushing downstairs, he looked up at the wall clock that hung by the bottom of the steps. A sigh escaped his lips as it read 6:17. Leonardo took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he began to trudge back to his room to get ready for school.

The teen picked out a casual outfit while pondering how his day might go. _I wonder if Mikey, Don, and Raph will pester me again. Mainly Mikey anyway._

With the thoughts jumbling around his head, Leonardo finished readying and strolled out the door to attempt a second day of school.

* * *

The sun shone through the various buildings, making the glass skyscrapers hurt any eyes that decided to watch the sun rise. It brought a somewhat calming and perk to Leonardo's day as he walked up the stairs to enter the high school. He noticed that though he was usually in a bad mood, today felt different. _Let's keep it that way._

A sudden shot of blonde entered his vision as he was soon accompanied by the blue-eyed teen he had met the day before.

"Hi Leo!" Mikey chirped, his eyes shining.

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Yeah hi to you too."

Mikey squealed. "You didn't even try to correct Leo into Leonardo."

A small scowl perched itself on Leonardo's face. "It's Leonardo." He grumbled.

Mikey gave a fake pout before once again breaking into a smile. "So what did you think of my bros the other day? Donnie can be kind of a know-it-all and Raph is a grump, but they're good bros. Were they nice to you?"

"They were fine." Leonardo mumbled. "But they were kind of annoying."

"Well, you'll get used to them." Mikey replied. "After all, we'll definitely be seeing more of you. See in class!" The short blonde suddenly sped off before Leonardo could question the energetic teen.

Shaking his head, Leonardo trudged to where Mikey had rushed off. The blonde brought up a small memory of when Leonardo had been that care-free and innocent.

* * *

5-year-old Leo rushed over to where he saw his father was training a brown-haired and buff young man. He attacked his father's leg, trying to remember how he was taught to assault Saki. Unfortunately, he had surprised his distracted his father who shot his foot out and slammed it into the ground.

Leonardo yelped in both pain and surprise at his father's move and he hit the floor with a loud thud. The young boy groaned at having the air knocked out of him and from dizziness. Saki glared at him.

"What have I told you about disturbing my training sessions?" He snapped at the Leonardo who was attempting to sit up.

"Was tryin' to sneak up n you…" Leonardo slurred, his brain still seeming to rattle in his head. "S'rry fath'r."

Oroku Saki gave an exasperated sigh. "Quick break Bradford." He reached down to pick up his son and set him down on his steadying feet, not noticing the scowl on his pupil's face.

Leonardo looked up at his father, wishing he could be picked up again. "Did I do well?" He asked in a small voice. Saki simply tilted his head at his son and grabbed his arm.

"Come." He demanded, towing Leonardo out of the dojo. The small boy stared at his stumbling feet, shame filling him.

Oroku Saki pulled his son out of the large dojo and into the small clearing outside. It was a garden area for those to meditate in peace. A large silver fountain with three levels spurt water out, providing a tranquil back noise. Several cherry blossom trees stood around the area which was surrounded by lush, green bushes. The man continued on the decorated stone pathway to a lone granite bench.

"Sit." Saki ordered Leonardo. The raven-haired boy obeyed, not wanting to meet his father's gaze, fearing what emotions he had stirred up in his father.

"Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you." Saki growled, alerting the young boy. Ocean blue eyes met golden ones.

"Yes father?" Leonardo squeaked out, fearful of what his father might try to do to him. His back was extremely sore from where it had been slammed down.

"Though I am proud of your skills to successfully sneak up on me…" Saki started, surprising his son. _He's proud of me? _Leonardo thought happily.

"But, you not only disturbed my private training with my highest pupil but made me harm you." Leonardo's eyes held a small twinkle, wondering if his father actually felt bad about the accidental harm.

"You made me look like an abusive father. Thankfully it was just Bradford, who cares nothing about you. If you do that again and someone else is there who will think lowly of me, you will be punished."

Leonardo's dark blue eyes' started to fill with tears. _How could my father not care about me? I only wanted to show him I'm going to be the best ninja ever. _Trying to hide his tears, Leonardo looked down.

_But he wanted to punish me? _The horrifying thought tumbled around in the young boy's head. _Why would he want to hurt me?_

Giving another angry sigh, Oroku Saki started back towards the dojo. "Stay there until we are done. I don't want you to get in any more trouble."

Without another glance backwards at his now crying son, Saki left the garden. Leonardo watched the new hazy ground from his tears, and told himself that he would be stronger from now on. _Just so I don't get hurt._

* * *

Don and Raph watched their younger brother rush off to where a familiar raven-haired boy was walking. Raph gave an annoyed sigh.

"Mikey seems to be getting a bit too comfortable with that Oroku." Raph growled. "Doesn't he remember what Master Splinter told us about them?"

Don gave a small shake of his head. "I know. But our sensei told us to get to know him, and Leo seems to be more open to Mikey." He pointed out.

"I know, I know." Raph agreed. "It's just I don't want Mikey to get hurt."

"Softie." Don teased, elbowing his older brother. Raph growled at him which made the taller teen chuckle.

Returning his pleasant smile to a frown, Don gave a small sigh. "Let's just hope Mikey can handle Leo."

* * *

Leonardo tried to pay attention to what was being taught, but his jumbled thoughts were once again surfacing. He still couldn't believe how friendly he had been with Michelangelo, but a small part of him actually liked having the company. It beat being alone any day. Raph and Don, he still wasn't too sure of him. While the blonde's compassion had seemed genuine, his brothers had been cautious about him. _It seemed like they didn't want to be friendly, but had been told to._

The thought made Leonardo question the teens and why they were being friendly with him again. _Maybe I'm being set up like I thought I was. Is that why my father is going to be gone for the next few days or am I just being paranoid? If only someone could give me some answers…_

Leonardo looked anxiously over at Michelangelo, who was currently extremely focused on doodling on a sheet of paper, his tongue sticking out. A sly smile grew on Leonardo's face. _And I know just who can give me some._ He thought.


	7. Chapter 6: Past and Future

**I have to say that I'm pretty proud with how this chapter turned out. I hope you all like it too and don't forget to leave any reviews or fav, follow if you like that story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

As all the high-schoolers gratefully walked outside of their school, Leonardo scanned the large crowd, looking for a familiar blonde. The smaller bouncing boy quickly appeared in the raven-haired boy's vision. Leonardo swiftly made his way over to the other teen, glancing around to make sure that Mikey's brothers weren't anywhere near.

Pleased to see that they weren't, Leonardo strode over to Mikey and tapped him on the shoulder. Mikey yelped in surprise and turned as fast as a cheetah. His familiar smile reappeared on his face as he noticed who had startled him. "Hey Leo!" He chirped. "What's up?"

Raising his eyebrows, the black-haired boy shrugged. "I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up sometime out of school."

Mikey's light blue eyes shone brighter. "You mean hang out?" He asked excitedly.

"Uh, yeah." Leonardo nodded hesitantly. _I hope I don't sound too desperate or friendly._

Mikey threw himself around Leonardo, who froze in the blonde's grip. "Cool! I knew my bros were wrong when they thought you were a stick in the mud!"

Leonardo suppressed growling at the comment. Sure he never _really _had all that much fun, and wouldn't be known for it, but it hurt knowing how different he was from other people his age. They didn't have to worry about exhausting training every night that left bruises and scratches, battering the body. Their father wasn't some power-obsessed, evil, millionaire and horrible excuse of someone every boy should look up to.

He was startled out of bitter thoughts by Mikey as the exuberant teen asked. "So when do you want to go and where do you want to go? Oh! I don't think you'll even know where to go! After all, you've only been in New York for what? Two, three days?" The blonde scratched his head. "Well whatever. Name a place and I'll tell you if we can go there!"

Leonardo racked through his brain to find a reasonable response. He wasn't sure where exactly he wanted to go. It hadn't crossed his mind where they should go. Teens enjoyed going to malls right? That was a start.

"Uh…" He started, mentally face-palming himself for the lacking response. Mikey however, continued waiting patiently with his blue eyes shining with excitement.

"The mall?" Leonardo managed to get out, if he had said it somewhat squeakily.

"Sure!" Mikey chirped. "There's this huge on! It's got like, um, 50 stores or something. Including the food court. We should get pizza! You like pizza right?"

Sweat formed on the back of Leonardo's neck. "Uh yeah. Couldn't live without it."

Mikey squealed and wrapped his arms around Leonardo. "I know! I knew we were going to be best friends Leo!"

Leonardo quickly pulled out of the embrace, despite Mikey's hurt look.

"Err, yeah." Leonardo said uncertainly. "I've got to go and uh, get some homework done. You know. For our um, trip to the mall on Saturday around one o'clock."

And with that, the raven-haired teen swiftly turned and walked speedily towards his waiting ride.

Mikey heaved a small sigh before once again smiling, feeling a small sense of accomplishment at successfully gaining a little trust of Leonardo.

His happiness was soon replaced by a small burst of pain as Raph suddenly came over to his unsuspecting brother and hit him over the head. "Owie Raphie!" Mikey whined. "Why'd you have to do that?"

Raph sneered at him. "Hello! Me and Donnie have been waiting for you to get your sorry butt on the road so we can get home already! You've been standing over here talking to Mr. stormy mood for who knows how long!"

"It was only like two minutes." Mikey pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. Raph just sighed and grabbed his brother's collar, much to the blonde's dismay and complaining, and towed him over to where their taller brother was waiting.

"Took you guys long enough!" Don said. "I've got a science project I need to start working on."

Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever Donnie boy. You probably just want an excuse to get home and out of this hellhole."

"Well yeah." Don agreed. "I do prefer learning on my own."

"Yeah!" Raph smacked him playfully. "It's the weekend! Let's get out of here already!"

As the two began walking towards their destination, Mikey turned back to where he had seen Leonardo go. He opened his mouth to tell his brothers about his plans for the next day, but stopped himself. They had been warning him not to get too involved with the new teen, and Mikey decided that it wouldn't hurt them if they didn't know.

Turning back to his brothers, Mikey tried to hide his grin as he followed the two in front of him.

* * *

Leonardo flipped back onto his feet, barely dodging the kick aimed at his head. A grunt forced its way out of his throat as he received a sudden blow to his back. Not waiting to be pounded any further, Leonardo swiftly turned and delivered three quick blows to his opponent before flipping backwards to dodge any retaliation.

_God I hate training with Bradford._ He grumbled to himself.

Bradford rushed back to the teen in rage and aimed a kick at Leonardo's legs to unbalance him again. The teen however, jumped to avoid the attack and gave his own powerful kick at his older opponent's vulnerable chest. Bradford managed to step backwards in time to avoid the blow that would have either broken or bruised a few ribs. However the dodge cost him as he lost his balance.

As Bradford stumbled backwards, Leonardo rushed forward and jabbed his index and middle finger into his adversary's neck to hit a pressure point. The older man quickly froze at the motion and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Are we done yet Bradford?" Leonardo grumbled at the fallen man, not bothering to try and help him up.

Bradford flashed him a glare full of hatred. "Yes. Now get out of here." He snarled, trying to get up and ignoring the pain flashing through his neck.

Without another word, Leonardo stalked out of the dojo in his father's new mansion and headed upstairs to his room. He made sure to slam the door.

With a sigh, the teen flopped onto his bed. If training with his father was bad enough, he had to deal with Bradford too. The bulky brown-haired man was arrogant, but most people saw him as one of the greatest martial arts trainer. Bradford was not one people should admire.

"Coward." Leonardo mumbled to himself as he laid an arm over his eyes to try and calm himself. He had always liked the dark. Whether it had anything to do with training to be a ninja, or if it was just natural to him, Leonardo didn't know. But he felt more powerful in the ominous black, and he liked the feeling.

* * *

Rustling sounded through the alleys from rats and other night time creatures as they rummaged for scraps. A soft whimpering came from by one of the many dumpsters as nine-year-old Leonardo held his knees to his chest, rocking himself to try and calm himself. Los Angeles was not turning out to be a great city. Not only was Saki hardly there, but the city had been crawling with people bent on bringing everyone down.

Tears pooled in Leonardo's dark blue eyes as he remembered the words his father spat at him. _Useless! Weakling! Disgrace! Dishonorable!_

A sob escaped the child's lips as he buried his face into his hands, trying to find comfort. A loud screech brought Leonardo out of his misery as he jumped up in fright. Wildly, he looked around to figure out what had made the sound when he spotted a group of people running from something on the ground, but Leonardo couldn't make out what it was.

He waited until the three women and two men, most likely leaving a party, disappeared around a corner before he cautiously approached the unmoving object. Leonardo squinted his eyes and used the faint moonlight to see what it was. It was long and slim, and it took the boy a moment to figure out that it was a snake.

Carefully, Leonardo prodded the still snake with the tip of his foot. The creature didn't move. He bent down to get a closer look.

"It's dead." A voice came out of the shadows, spooking Leonardo. The boy whirled towards where he had heard the voice, getting back on his feet.

"Who's there?" He asked, his voice threatening despite the fear he felt.

A chuckle came from the shadows. "That's a good question. But I'm afraid I can't answer that."

Leonardo tried to figure out what to do; he could run away but that would mean seeing his father again. Or he could leave whoever was hiding in the shadows. All he knew was the person was a man.

"I mean you no harm." The voice said gently.

Leonardo remained tense. "Show yourself." He growled.

"As you wish." Suddenly, a tall, elderly man appeared from the shadows. He had squinted eyes, most likely Japanese, and had a white beard that had been braided. His long white hair rested on his back. The man wore a black kimono which seemed familiar and calming to Leonardo.

The boy's muscled relaxed, not sensing any threat in the elderly man. The man noticed Leonardo's calmed nerves and he smiled.

"Greetings young one." He said in a warm voice. "What are you doing out so late on your own?"

Leonardo looked at the ground. Sure he had been told numerous times not to talk to strangers, but this man didn't seem like he would try to harm Leonardo.

"I ran away from home." Leonardo admitted. "My father and I weren't getting along."

The elderly man's forehead crinkled in concern. "What troubles you so?" He asked gently.

Leonardo sniffed. "We got in a fight. He said some things that hurt."

The aged man approached Leonardo and laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will turn out alright." He encouraged.

The raven-haired boy met the man's eyes. "But he's Oroku Saki. Nothing ever turns alright."

The elderly man gave him a warm smile. "It will. You just have to believe it will. It's like being a ninja. By believing in the shadows to hide and protect you, they will. Will you believe in yourself to see that you and your father can make up?"

Leonardo gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "I could try I guess."

The aged man patted the boy's head. "I have no doubt you will make the right choice in the end."

Leonardo blinked up at the man in confusion. "But what do you mean?" He asked.

"You will find out Leonardo. Until then, I wish you the best of luck." And with that, the elderly man stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Leonardo's eyes widened at where the man had disappeared. The boy shook his head and turned around. His eyes spotted the dead snake again and the words of the old man rung through his head. Slowly, Leonardo began to trudge back home, determined to try what he had been told to make up with his father.

As the young boy was making his way home, a sudden fearful thought struck him. _How did he know my name?_

* * *

A small smile covered Leonardo's face as he remembered how calm and comforted he had felt by being near the elderly man. Though he was still unnerved by how the stranger had somehow known his name, the man had seemed sincere. Not many people were like that, especially if they had any relations to Orokus.

Mikey was like the elderly man in a way. He too seemed sincere and wanted to help people, despite knowing who his father may be. It comforted Leonardo to know that there were some people in the world he could trust.

As Leonardo closed his eyes, still thinking about the elderly man, Mikey, and comfort in the dark, he sighed in content as his world faded into the world of shadows.

**Be prepared. The next chapter has plenty of Mikey.**


	8. Chapter 7: What Friends Are For

**Here is chapter 7, the longest chapter yet. The story is slowly progressing and the chapters will be getting longer as well. Updates will be slower though, due to a number of things. I'll get them up as soon as possible though. And as always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

Awaking with a start, Mikey silently slipped out of his bed. He crept gently along the aged covered wooden floor over to his cluttered dresser. Grabbing the clothes he had picked out excitedly the night before, Mikey crept over to the bathroom, making sure to close the door very slowly. After finishing, he tried to keep his excitement at bay as he slid down the banister to the main floor.

Trying to find the right ingredients to make a decent breakfast, Mikey couldn't hide the large smile resting on his face. Surprisingly, he had never really had another friend other than his brothers. Due to the strict traditions and teachings of Master Splinter, the three teens had never felt the need to socialize outside themselves. They had always felt like a whole, but now Mikey was second guessing that statement. Leonardo was definitely a troubled soul, but Mikey felt as though the new teen deserved to have someone that he could lean on. Judging by the raven-haired boy's reactions to others, Leo had never had a friend, or at least a good one.

Michelangelo was determined to be the one Leonardo could trust. If along the way, and Mikey knew they most likely would, Raph and Donnie befriended the teen too, and then they could be a new group. A group of brothers, or at least resembling brothers.

_You cannot trust the Orokus. _Master Splinter's words echoed in Mikey's head, but he shook them away. He knew that Leo was different and shouldn't be judged by who his father was. Even if the two families were meant to be enemies, Mikey believed that the four could overcome their differences.

"Why are you up so early Michelangelo?"

Mikey whirled around in surprise, knocking over his cooking materials in the process. A chagrined smile crossed his face.

"Uh, heh, sorry Sensei." Mikey said, resting a hand behind his head in embarrassment.

Master Splinter sighed at his son while giving a small shake of his head. "Today is a Saturday, you are well aware of that fact correct?"

"Yeah Sensei." Mikey replied. "I was just trying to make breakfast."

"Yes, I can see you were _trying_ my son. But why? Usually you and your brothers do not rise as early as seven on the weekends." Master Splinter pointed out.

Trying to avoid his father's gaze, Mikey responded. "I was planning on meeting a friend today. And I have some stuff to do before that, so I thought I would finish it early."

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "You are meeting a friend. May I ask his name?"

Mikey gave a small whistle. "That is a good question! His name is, uh…"

Splinter raised his eyebrow even further, causing Mikey to have sweat start to form on his neck. "It's, um, Mark?" Mikey questioned himself.

"Oh yeah!" Mikey snapped his fingers. "His name is Mark."

"Well, when are you meeting this Mark?" Master Splinter asked, stroking his beard.

"Around one at the mall. I'll probably grab a cab. And we're going to get some pizza there." Mikey answered, wiping his brow in relief at not messing up another sentence.

Master Splinter, already guessing his son was not telling the entire truth and hiding his antics, asked. "This wouldn't have anything to with Oroku Leonardo would it?"

"What?" Mikey squeaked nervously. "Heh, of course not! I remember what you said about those Orokus. I clearly remember you saying that we couldn't trust them, yada yada and all that good stuff. Besides, my friend Mark isn't at all like an Oroku! I would know too so we're all good here!"

"You would know what an Oroku is like my son?" Master Splinter asked innocently.

Small drops of sweat formed on the back of Mikey's neck as he hesitantly replied. "Umm, no. I was just remembering what you said about them. Y'know, cause you said they were bad and all?"

With a small shake of his head, Master Splinter turned around. "Very well. You may meet this Mark at one, but I expect you at home no later than nine. Am I understood?"

A relieved smile broke out on Mikey's face. "Hei Sensei."

As he was leaving his once again free son, Master Splinter added. "Oh and clean up your mess too."

Mikey gave a loud groan, bringing a smile to Master Splinter's lips.

* * *

Leonardo paced his room, his mind wandering to how the day might turn out. It was already seven, and he had completed his training. After having the pleasure of telling Bradford about his plans, he had been ordered to four early and excruciating hours of training. And tomorrow he would have another seven; if Bradford was in a good mood.

_Like that's going to happen._ Leonardo thought as he inwardly rolled his eyes. His thoughts wandered back to his plans for today. Mikey had seemed generally pleased about his invitation, but all Leonardo wanted was some answers to what the brothers wanted and who they really were. _I don't even know their last name._

Leonardo abruptly stopped his pacing by a wall and slid down it, bringing his knees to his chest and leaning his head on them. "If only I could figure out who they were." He mumbled to himself. "Then I might have a better understanding of who they are cause they sure aren't as heck just some Johnsons."

The troubled teen gave a shaky sigh before once again standing. "Well," he muttered. "I may as well meditate for awhile."

* * *

Around eight years before, Leonardo sat in his usual meditative position. The only movements he made were deep breaths to calm himself. Occasionally, his hands would twitch at being in the same position for a couple of hours. But it was all the boy could do to control his frustration. All he had wanted was to take a short break and visit the warm, sunny beach. Every kid dreamed of it, but Leonardo had been forced to stay home and train. When he had asked his father, Saki had simply told him if he did, training would be longer and harder the next day. The young boy had obliged to his father and stayed home, but he could still feel the anger rolling off him in waves. Much like the ones he wanted to see.

Heaving a sigh, his dark blue eyes slowly opened, drinking in the dimmed candlelight that glowed in the darkened room. Leonardo slowly made his way to a closed window before gently pulling the curtains aside to gaze forlornly outside. It was another beautiful day that made any child itch to play under the rich sky.

Leonardo pulled the curtains back to their original position, blocking the view of the outside world. He slowly made his way over to the door, barely visible in the dark. He left the room without a sound and wandered downstairs out of his room to the front door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and let the sudden breeze whip through his air. As he stepped outside, the boy could feel the warming rays from the golden sun burn into his pale skin. Delightedly, he giggled in childish glee and stepped off the steps and into the fertile grass.

The raven-haired boy looked up into the sky, allowing the beams of sun warm his face. He flopped down onto the ground to marvel at the beauty of the day, but still wishing he could have gone to the beach. Perhaps there he wouldn't be alone and could mingle with others. However the hope of befriending others quickly fled as a shadow filled his bright vision.

"Get up. Now!" A growl rang through the peaceful air. Leonardo quickly scrambled to his feet as he realized his father had come to him. "Why are you outside? I told you to keep training! If you don't want to be a disgrace to your family then continue your training or else!"

The raven-haired boy sucked in his tears at his father's harsh words. "Hei Master." He weakly managed before dragging his feet to the cold, dark house. With one last forlorn look at the cheerful world, Leonardo once again entered the shadowed world.

* * *

Mikey skipped down his front steps with his signature gleeful smile. He had been ready for quite awhile, and had decided that early was better than late. _I can order pizza for us! But what does Leo like I wonder? Well I don't think he'll mind if I choose._ The blonde teen thought happily.

As he walked for awhile, Mikey was finally able to hail a cab and practically hopped in.

"Where to kid?" The middle-aged man asked, looking at Mikey through the rear-view window.

"The mall please!" He chirped. With a grunt of his understanding, the taxi driver drove towards the destination with a pleased Mikey aboard.

After a quarter of an hour, Mikey hopped out of the cab with a thanks and paying, and strolled up to the mall. He decided to wait by the front doors, the most used entrance, so Leo would be able to find him. The blonde teen didn't have to wait long. At exactly one, he spotted Leo warily entering the mall.

"Hey Leo! Over here!" Mikey shouted out, catching his friend's attention. With a nod, Leonardo made his way over to Mikey.

"Hi Mikey." Leonardo calmly greeted.

"Hiya Leo!" Mikey excitedly replied. He quickly grabbed Leonardo's hand, surprising him, and dragged him off to the food court. "Come on Leo. I haven't even had lunch yet!"

The raven-haired teen let himself be dragged by the younger boy, silently wishing that he wouldn't be touched. Though he wanted to start asking Mikey questions, he decided to wait awhile.

Mikey abruptly stopped, almost making Leonardo run into him. "So what kind of pizza do you like?"

Umm.." Leonardo started awkwardly. "Any is okay."

Mikey raised an eyebrow. "Okay Leo? I don't think so. What kind of pizza do you like, and I mean love?"

Trying to keep his sudden nervousness at being asked what he wanted at bay, Leonardo replied. "I'm good with any. Real good actually."

Mikey gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Alright I get to choose. No one in my family likes what I get. You sure about that?"

Deciding that it would be best to please the younger teen, Leonardo replied. "Y'know I really like pepperoni."

Pleased at the response, an amused twinkle shone in Mikey's eyes. "Me too. Go find us a spot will ya? I'll go order us some pizza. They give me a discount anyway."

Mikey walked off to a deserted pizza shop with bright neon lights surrounding it, leaving Leonardo to look around for an empty table. Thankfully, the food court wasn't too busy and he found a clean one quickly. As he sat at the table, Leonardo's thoughts wandered off to how he would ask Mikey what he wanted to know.

Though he was excited at the prospect of getting some much needed answers, Leonardo felt a pang of guilt crawling inside him. _I kind of enjoy the company._ He admitted to himself. But he was an Oroku, and when they put their minds to something, they generally worked until they got what they wanted. And that was exactly what Leonardo was going to do.

"Ooh, under the skylight. Nice choice." Mikey piped up, interrupting Leonardo from his thoughts. The blonde teen had a tray with two plates, each with several pieces of pizza.

"Oh, I didn't even notice really." Leonardo admitted. Mikey gave a small shrug before plopping down into the chair across from Leonardo. Gently, the blonde set down the tray. Leonardo raised an eyebrow at the younger teen's sudden concentration as he tried not to disturb any of the pizza's toppings.

"You can't rush perfection." Mikey pointed out. With a mischievous grin, he added, "That's why I was born last."

"Well, I'll be sure to tell Raph and Donnie that." Leonardo said with a straight face. Mikey stopped, his hand pausing midair with a piece of steaming pizza in its grasp.

"You wouldn't." Mikey challenged, his eyes widening in mock terror.

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Sure I wouldn't."

Mikey gave a small pout, before breaking into a large smile. "I didn't know you were such a jokester Leo."

"That's because I'm not." The raven-haired teen replied before biting into his food.

"Hmm, that's too bad. I myself am probably the best jokester in the world and you just passed up on being my trainee." Mikey said nonchalantly.

"Yeah whatever." Leonardo sighed. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you some questions. I don't really know all that much about you."

Mikey tapped his chin thoughtfully. "True. Alright. You ask me a question, and I'll ask you one. Fair enough?"

Leonardo bit his lip, not pleased with the deal. Sighing however, he agreed.

"Alright, you can start." Mikey said, folding his greasy pizzaed hands and turning his attentive eyes on Leonardo.

Gathering his thoughts, Leonardo decided to ask smaller questions before moving up to the more important ones. "How long have you lived in New York?" He asked.

"All my life." Mikey answered. "My turn. Hmm." He bit his tongue before saying, "Where did you live before New York?"

"Let's see." Leonardo closed his eyes in concentration. "Do you mean right before or all the places?"

Mikey's eyes widened a bit. "You've moved more than once?"

Leonardo gave a rare chuckle. "More than once? Definitely. I'll take that as a yes for all the places. Let's see. I was born in Japan. A few years later we moved to Norway, Germany, France, Spain, and that's before the U.S. The first city was Seattle. I liked it there. Than it was L.A., Dallas, Miami, and Boston. And now it's New York."

Mikey's eyes were as wide as his plate. "All those places? In only, like 15 years?"

"Yeah." Leonardo said quietly. He raised an eyebrow at Mikey. "Hey, isn't it my turn to ask a question?"

"What? Oh yeah." Mikey gave a small shake of his head. "Alright, ask away."

Pondering a moment, Leonardo asked. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

"That's a hard one." Mikey admitted. "I like skateboarding. But I really like to read comics. And there's nothing better than playing a prank on one of my bros, especially Raph. Gosh Leo, why'd you have to ask me such a hard question?" He whined.

"Okay okay. I get the point." Leonardo said exasperatedly. "Alright, ask me something."

"The other day, back at the end of the first day at school, I noticed how you started to sort of move into a fighting stance. It was only a little and hardly noticeable, but are you in sort of training or something?" Mikey asked, a bit timidly.

Leonardo blinked. He hadn't realized just how observant Mikey was. _I'll keep that in mind. _"Yes actually. My father and some of his, uh, associates are all skilled in ninjitsu. They've been teaching me since I was about four."

"Four?" Mikey asked with a frown. "That's pretty young. My Sensei said that children that young could be seriously hurt if they started training then."

"Wait, _you_ have a sensei too? Are you learning ninjitsu?" Leonardo asked. Though his face was filled with confusion, which he felt, inside suspicion was starting to grow. It was extremely rare to find someone else who was training in the ancient art. Most people who Leonardo knew that trained in the art were some of his father's trainees.

Mikey immediately looked down, as if he said something he shouldn't have. "Um, yeah." He said quietly.

Knowing he wouldn't get another response out of the younger teen, though it was infuriating him, Leonardo sighed. "Well, I guess I just asked a question, so it's your turn."

For awhile, neither spoke. Tension filled the air between the two, keeping both in a sort of awkward state.

"So, um, you have any pets?" Mikey inquired breaking the silence.

"No. I've never had the time or permission." Leonardo responded, looking his companion in the eyes. "You?"

"Really?" Mikey asked, some of his nervousness fading. "Well I have an orange kitten named Klunk. My bros have a pet too. Raph has a turtle named Spike and Donnie has a cockroach named Spy Roach."

Leonardo blinked before giving a small snort, surprising Mikey. "Don has a cockroach named _Spy Roach_?"

Mikey have an exuberant nod, his energy returning. "Yeah. I never really got that." His eyes softened a bit. "But you don't have one? Never ever?" Leonardo shook his head, making Mikey continue. "Well, you could always get one…"

"Get a pet?" Leonardo asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah." Mikey chirped. "They make great company. How about we go get you one right now?"

"I'm not so sure about that." Leonardo said slowly.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Come on! There's a small pet shop around here. They have some small things you could get that don't need all that much attention."

Before Leonardo could protest, Mikey had already grabbed his companion's arm and started towing him towards another section of the large mall.

"Now what would you like, I wonder?" Mikey mumbled, more to himself than to Leonardo who was trying to avoid eye contact from people the two passed by. The raven-haired teen racked through his mind to figure out how exactly he got himself in his current predicament.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two abruptly stopped in front of a small store with some green paint siding that had begun to peel. A crooked sign above the double-doors read "Peter and Kevin's Pet Extraordinaire". To Leonardo, it seemed very unprofessional, but to Mikey, the place brought back nostalgic memories.

"C'mon. I know you'll find the perfect pet! Me and my bros found our pets here." Mikey said excitedly. Without waiting for a response, he once again pulled Leonardo along with him.

A small bell greeted the two teens as Mikey pulled the doors open. The store was empty of life except for the animals going about their usual business and a very bored looking man thumbing through a magazine, sitting on a stool by a counter. He didn't bother to look up at the coming teens, which annoyed Leonardo a bit. However, Mikey seemed unfazed by the man's rudeness.

"Don't mind Tom. He's just trying not to be too curious." Mikey suddenly comforted from beside his companion, startling Leonardo a little. The raven-haired teen reminded himself of how perceptive the blonde was. "So, what kind of animal do you want?" Bright blue eyes watched Leonardo expectantly.

"Um, I think I'll just look around a bit." Leonardo admitted softly, slightly embarrassed at how feeble he sounded. To his surprise, Mikey gave a small nod.

"Sounds good to me Leo." The blonde chirped before moving over to a cage of fluffy rabbits.

Leonardo however, wasn't interested in anything 'cute'. His ocean blue eyes wandered around the shop, noticing every animal there was to offer. At first, nothing really caught his attention. Before he told Mikey that coming here was a waste of effort and he didn't even want a pet, looking at the joyful boy, Leo couldn't make himself do it. He decided to look at the animals closer, for the sake of Mikey.

As the raven-haired teen wandered by the exhibits, peering through the glass at the different creatures, he felt eyes trained on him. Turning, he noticed a gray snake watching him with small black, beady eyes in a small glass cage. Leo watched the creature with interest.

"Whatcha found there Leo?" Mikey piped up from beside Leo, surprising the taller teen.

"What? Oh I saw this snake." Leo said, his eyes still trained on the serpent.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Well I can see that. Do you like it?" Leonardo gave an almost vigorous nod. Mikey gave a small smile. "Looks like you found your pet." Turning to Tom, who was still reading his magazine and shouted. "Hey Tom! Leo here wants this snake!"

The greasy man grunted and slowly set his magazine down before wobbling over to the teens. "This the one eh?" He asked in a scratchy voice, as if he hadn't used it awhile.

"Yeah." Leo said, turning his head to Mikey. The blonde gave a small nod, giving Leo a little feeling of satisfaction. The man looked at the snake, a smile slithering onto his face.

"Eh, this the one me and Joe snuck in." He gave a hearty laugh before grabbing the glass cage and heading back over to the counter. Mikey and Leo exchanged a confused look before the blonde gave a small shrug and smiling.

"Yeah, me and Joe was in some country over in Asia or something." The man said, scratching his chin. "We was explorin' and such when we saw this snake here. Now Joe was always trying' ta read bout different animals and so he saw this one and said 'Ey! This one those rare dragon snakes!' And so we took it back. No one likes them snakes though, but I guess you do."

Mikey smiled at Tom. "Thanks! Gee Leo, I didn't think you'd be so lucky in finding a pet!" Leo gave a small shrug, wishing the attention of the two wasn't on him. However, he did like the fact that the snake he chose was called a dragon snake.

"How much for it?" Leo asked.

Tom bit his lip thoughtfully. "Well, seein how you's a friend of Mikey's, I'll give it to you real cheap."

Mikey enveloped the man in a quick but tight hug. "Thanks Tom!"

Tom shrugged off the teen before ringing up Leo's purchase and suggesting several other things he would need to take care of his pet before he waved them off.

"This is so cool!" Mikey squealed as they walked out of the shop. "Now that you have a pet, what are you going to name it?"

Leo closed his eyes to think while Mikey waited patiently. "Hmm, well it's a dragon snake and both are part of the Chinese way of life. And since dragons represent yang, I guess I'll name it Yang."

Mikey gave a quick huff. "You didn't have to make it so philosophical sounding y'know. You could have just called him Scales or something like that."

Giving a small shrug, Leo noticed a hallway leading toward maintenance. _I still don't know who you really are…_ Without another thought, he grabbed a surprised Mikey's arm, still holding his snake's cage in the other, and tugged him into the deserted hall. "Leo what?" Mikey started but was silenced by Leo. The blonde looked around a bit nervously, expecting someone to jump out.

"Alright, I need to know." Leo whispered. Mikey gave him a small frown but before he could say something, Leo interrupted him. "You and your brothers obviously knew who I was before anyone told you. Now I need to know who exactly you are, because you seem to know the Orokus better than anyone else."

Mikey gave a helpless shrug and unconvincing smile. "Sorry Leo, but I can't tell you." He sheepishly looked into Leo's eyes, searching for some kind of relief. However, Leo turned a glare on him.

"And why not?" Leonardo snapped. "I've let you call me Leo, and for awhile I kind of liked it. And I let you drag me around for who knows how long. I've been waiting for answers and I want them."

The blonde shook his head sadly. "Look, I honestly want to tell you, but I can't Leo. It's complicated."

Leonardo snarled. "I don't care! If you're going to lie to me, than I'm done!" The raven-haired teen spun around and began to stalk away when Mikey cried out for him to stop.

Leonardo turned, narrowing his eyes at the shorter teen who was watching him fearfully. "I-If I tell you, will you promise me not to tell anyone? And not to tell my bros or sensei that I told you?"

A small smile crept its way onto Leonardo's face. He gave a small nod. "I swear on my honor."

Mikey glanced around nervously before averting his eyes back on Leonardo. "Me, my bros, and sensei aren't really supposed to get along with you and your dad. You see, well, we're kind of _enemies_ back where both our families came from." The blonde tried not to stare too deep into his friend's blue eyes, terrified of seeing disgust or something along those lines. "Well, we're Hamatos."

A cold feeling spread inside Leonardo as he froze in hearing Hamato. The sworn enemy of the Orokus and he had thought he had made a _friend _of one. The raven-haired teen watched his companion fidget uncomfortably under his gaze. "A Hamato?" He said quietly. "You all are Hamatos? In New York?" He watched Mikey give a small nod. "Well, I honestly wasn't expecting that, but I swore on my honor I wouldn't tell anyone."

"You won't then?" Mikey asked hopefully. His eyes began to brighten a bit.

"No I won't." Leo confirmed quietly. He didn't want to believe that he could have done something that was so against what his family and ancestors stood for, but honor was something he took seriously.

"That's great." Mikey said, lacking enthusiasm though at seeing the almost broken look on Leonardo's face. "Hey Leo, are you alright?"

Leo opened his mouth to say he was, but he couldn't say anything, too stricken with guilt and other mixed emotions. Slowly he shook his head, turning his gaze towards the ground. He felt a tear trickle down his face as his eyes began to fill with them. Saying anything now would force the tears out and then he would be nothing but a train wreck.

Mikey sadly walked up to his troubled friend and wrapped his arms around him. "Hey Leo, it'll be okay. We'll figure it out together okay?" He pulled himself away to look Leo in the eyes. The raven-haired teen gave another small nod before Mikey once again pulled him into a comforting embrace.

"Thanks." Leo whispered almost inaudibly into Mikey's ear. The blonde gave a small smile and squeeze before pulling away from Leo.

"Hey what are friends for?"

**Constructive reviews and favs/follows are greatly appreciated. New chapters will be up soon!~**


	9. Chapter 8: To Confess and Remember

**Not my favorite chapter, but it'll get better. Anyway, I'm super busy and updates will be slow. Hopefully I can get them up in at least a week or two. I'd also like to add: 51 reviews, 18 favs, and 32 followers? Way more than my other story. Thanks to everyone that is supporting the story and me! Hope you enjoy this chapter though!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

Slowly Leonardo limped through the school's hallways that were quickly emptying. He grit his teeth in pain as he stumbled to keep his balance while holding his books. Grumbling to himself, Leonardo managed to get to his science class with a couple of minutes to spare. He carefully walked to his desk and sat down with a grunt of pain.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Leonardo looked to his right, seeing that Donnie was talking to him with a concerned look. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." He lied smoothly.

Donnie gave him an unconvinced glance. "Is that why you came stumbling in and limped over here?"

The raven-haired teen grimaced. "It's nothing out of the ordinary." He admitted, turning towards the front of the class.

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked quietly. He watched Leo, waiting for a response.

"Let's just say, my current sensei hates me." Leo said nonchalantly, earning an alarmed look from Donnie. "But it's alright. You should've seen what I did to him." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Donnie sighed. "If you say so. But if you need someone to look at it, I could. I've been reading up on medical stuff and I might be able to recommend some medicine."

Leo shook his head and waved him off. "Nah, rest is all I need. But thanks anyway." He turned to face Donnie again. "But where's Mikey?" He asked. "I didn't see him in my first period."

"Oh, he was feeling under the weather. He should be here tomorrow though." Donnie answered. He knew Leo had purposely changed the subject, but decided to let it pass. "You know," Donnie started, catching Leo's attention. "Mikey is really fond of you. It was you he met up with this weekend wasn't it?"

Leo gave a small hesitant nod. "Yeah, we-"

"Alright, listen up people!" Their teacher interrupted, bringing relief to Leo. "Class is starting."

Both teens turned towards the front of the classroom. With a final glance at Leo, Donnie decided to meet him later to talk more.

* * *

Lunch was horrible for Leonardo. Not only did people think it was okay to bump into him without apologizing, he had almost fallen twice before he even grabbed his lunch. Stumbling over to the empty table he had sat at before, he collapsed into his seat gratefully.

"Bad day huh?" A sudden voice surprised Leonardo. He quickly looked up and into Donnie's brown eyes. He relaxed a bit at the familiar face as the taller teen sat down.

"I've had worse." Leo admitted quietly. He trained his eyes on his suddenly unappetizing lunch and began to pick at it with his fork, avoiding Donnie's watchful eyes.

"I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but your leg seems to be really bothering you. Are you sure you don't want me to look at it?" Donnie asked politely.

Leo gave a small shake of his head, turning back to Donnie. "I'm fine really. You and Mikey are really kind of curious aren't you?"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're curious, but stop changing the subject. And besides, if you leg was fine, then you wouldn't always be wincing or almost falling over the smallest things." He pointed out.

"Look, I appreciate it, but I don't want your pity." Leonardo grumbled.

"I'm not pitying you Leo. I just want to help." Donnie said. "And Mikey wouldn't forgive me if I let his friend be in pain."

Leo gave a sigh before resting his head in his palm. "Sorry Don." He whispered. "I'm just not used to it."

Donnie tilted his head, confused. "What aren't you used to?"

Leo looked up, giving a small smile. "I'm not used to having someone care about me."

* * *

Seven-year-old Leonardo watched curiously at his father's new maids, slowly going about their cleaning business. He was on the second floor, in the shadows, peeking through the stair banister. His dark blue eyes zipped from one woman to another. Usually, the maids worked once a week when he was in school, but this team had to come in later because of the last ones having a disagreement with Oroku Saki. Most of the new ones looked rather old, with graying hair and saggy wrinkles. A few though were younger, maybe in their 30s.

Leonardo was crouching very quietly, observing the women when someone gently touched his shoulder, making him whip around and almost crashing into the banister bars.

A pretty girl, maybe in her lower 20s, was curiously looking at him. She was very pretty, with short dark brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes. "Who are you?" She asked sweetly. Leonardo blushed a bit.

"I'm Leonardo." He whispered, abashed.

The girl gave a small gasp and covered her pink lips. "You're Oroku Saki's son then?" She asked quietly.

He looked down, a bit annoyed at being recognized. "Yeah." He grumbled quietly.

Suddenly, the girl rested her hand gently on his shoulder. Leonardo looked up surprised. She gave a sweet smile. "My name is Miwa." Slowly, Miwa lowered herself to sit by the boy. "I will not judge you Leonardo." His eyes widened as he opened his mouth to respond, but Miwa put a finger to her lips. "I could tell by the look on your face when I gasped. You looked sad but angry."

Leo gave a small, hopeful smile. "I guess you could say that." He heaved a sigh. "It's just that no one likes me for being the son of Oroku Saki." He blushed again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to complain."

Miwa gave a small giggle, making Leo smile a little more. "I don't mind Leonardo-"

"Leo." Leo interrupted quickly. "Sorry, but just call me Leo.

Miwa gave him a warm smile. "Alright Leo. I like that better."

"Yeah." Leo agreed. "I do too."

* * *

Leonardo trudged painfully up the stairs to his, or rather his father's, large house. He slowly rummaged through his bag until successfully finding the house's keys. Unlocking and opened the door, the teen limped inside and straight up the stairs to his room. He flopped himself onto his bed, hissing when his injured leg landed roughly on the mattress.

He instantly remembered the face Donnie had given him after he had admitted that he honestly didn't have anyone who cared for him. There was a mixture of emotions that flashed quickly on the brown-haired teen's face before they swiftly faded into a calm, but concerned look. Leonardo knew that Mikey at least somewhat cared about his well-being, but Donnie had seemed as if he might as well. It confused the young Oroku and he quickly dismissed the hopeful thought. He had worse things to think about.

His leg, for example. After the long and brutal training session, Leonardo had found that he had received multiple wounds that would need to be looked at, but his leg worried him the most. He carefully rolled up his jeans' leg before hissing at what he saw.

Leo's right, injured leg had a long mark running from below his knee up to his thigh on the outer side. It wasn't too deep, but still might need someone to look at it. Quickly dismissing the suggestion, Leonardo leaned over to his side table's drawer and rummaged through it until he found the ointment that worked well on his injuries. It was all he had, but it usually worked well to stop infection. He carefully applied it to his leg, gritting his teeth at the sting.

After covering the wound, he rolled the pant leg down and put the ointment back into the drawer. Gently, Leonardo lay himself down with a content smile and closed his ocean-blue eyes into the comforting dark abyss.

* * *

"Come on Leo!" Miwa shouted excitedly with a large smile covering her face. "I want to show you something!"

"I'm coming!" Leo yelled back to his friend. He rushed after her, through the manor's open and spacious backyard. The seven-year-old caught up to the older girl easily, thanks to his training. "Um, Miwa? Where exactly are we going? And why are we going there now when it's past 10:30?"

Miwa rolled her chocolate eyes in good nature. "It's a surprise silly! Now come on!"

The two ran for a while longer before they began to slow down. As they stopped, Leo looked around curiously. It was dark, but the almost full moon provided plenty of light for him. He saw that the flat ground they were one lead on to a dip, but there was a part of the land that sloped abruptly upwards onto a steep overlook. Miwa grabbed his hand and pulled him up the overlook so he could see the view.

"Uh, this is nice and all Miwa, but why are we here?" Leo inquired.

Miwa gave him a sweet smile. "To see the stars silly." She sat down and requested he do too. The two lied down and turned their gazes upwards to see the bright stars.

Since the house was pretty far from the city of Dallas, the stars were visible. They shone brightly on the Earth and brought a smile to Leo's face. Fascinated, he watched them intently. Curiously, he turned his head to Miwa, who was also infatuated with the night sky's lights.

"How did you find this place?" Leo asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

Miwa blushed a bit. "One day I was supposed to be cleaning, but I was curious about the yard. I mean, it was big and I never saw anyone go out into it, so I decided to. I was just walking around one day since I had heard Oroku Saki wasn't going to be there, when I came upon this place. It reminded me of a place my mother used to take me too. I decided to come back at night to see the stars since my mother and I used to that." She gave a small sigh. "I fell in love with this place, and I knew I had to show you it."

Leo gave a comforting smile. "I'm glad you did. But I'm even more you found it."

Miwa gave him a saddened look. "Oh Leo. You're so young, but I've never seen your father show you any love." She said quietly, thinking of her own kind mother. Leo turned his head quickly back to the sky. "You're so very kind, but all of the other maids think you're rude and a horrible child."

Leo could feel his eyes begin to water. He hated knowing how others judged him. He suddenly felt arms wrap around him. "Shh." Miwa comforted. "You can let it out child. I'm here for you."

Wrapping his arms and resting his head into Miwa's neck, he let his tears out. "I-I just wish I wasn't his son." He sobbed. "I don't want him to be my father. People judge me. I hate him."

"It's okay Leo." Miwa said quietly, her own eyes beginning to water. "I'm here for you. I promise."

They lied there for what seemed like hours before Leo began to pull away from the comforting embrace. He rubbed his eyes, and sniffed. Miwa rose and put her hand out to help Leo up. They walked slowly and wordlessly back to the house.

A week later, Leo waited expectantly for Miwa and the other cleaning ladies to show up. To his horror, he watched as a different vehicle drove up to the driveway. Out of it came new cleaning women, and Leo realized he would never see Miwa again.

* * *

And Leonardo never saw Miwa again. He figured his father had found about his secret friendship and decided to end it. It didn't bother him too much, but he could still feel the pang of sadness of never seeing her again.

Shaking his head, Leonardo refocused himself on his training. Thankfully it was a private session, meaning he could rest his injured leg. Glancing up at the clock on the hallway to the dojo with it reading 4:43, he once again slowly ran through the simple kata.

"Leonardo!"

The raven-haired teen quickly glanced back to the hall at hearing his name. His heart sank at the gruff, cruel voice. Oroku Saki was back.

* * *

Donnie hummed to himself as he focused on his project, something he rarely had the chance to do. It was a simple design to make a robotic organism as he called it; his brothers just called it a robot. As the assigned leader by his Sensei, he rarely had the time to work on anything he wanted to do. Not being one to complain much though, Donnie obeyed his Sensei, though he desperately wished to be able to have the stress off.

Heaving a sigh, he lifted his work goggles from his coffee-colored eyes and lifted his head. He lost his breath, realizing it was already past four in the morning. Muttering to himself, Donnie rushed out of his small lab and nearly into his Sensei.

"M-Master Splinter!" He cried out in surprise, quickly bowing in respect. He searched his father's face for any sign that he was in trouble.

"Donatello." Splinter began calmly. "May I ask why you are up at this hour?"

The brunette fidgeted with his glasses. "I didn't realize how late, or early, it was. I just wanted to work on my project for a while, and then when I looked at the time, it was past four." Donnie looked at his feet, hoping not to be grounded for staying up late on a school night.

"I understand that your projects and experiments are important to you, but you cannot let them get in the way of more important things. Your family depends on you to lead them, and you cannot do that while you are distracted. It is the same with school, though I doubt it would matter as much, seeing how bright you are. However, you need to learn how to balance what you do in your life. More important things should mean more to you than other things."

Donnie hesitantly looked into his father's piercing gaze. "I'll try Sensei." He said quietly.

Splinter gave a small bow of his head. "Good. That is all I want. Now," He gestured to Donnie's room. "I suggest you get an hour or two of rest. I want you ready for school at your normal time."

"Hai Sensei." Donnie replied politely with a bow. He started off towards his room without a look back and collapsed tiredly onto his bed after gently placing his glasses on his tidy desk. However, the teen found sleep difficult to come by. His thoughts kept wandering back to his conversations with Leo.

_I'm not used to someone caring about me._

Donnie rubbed his head in thought at the troubled teen's response. He knew Mikey frequently seemed to know when others were silently suffering, and he wondered if that was why his younger brother was so intent on befriending Saki's son. The limping also came to his mind. Donnie had no doubt that Leo was in pain from whatever injury he had, but was either too stubborn or scared to admit he wanted help.

For awhile he considered consulting Master Splinter, as his father would not doubt know if Saki would be hurtful to his son or what he could to help. But he couldn't admit to his father that he had disobeyed his wishes. That would surely lead to trouble.

"If only Leo would open up to someone." Donnie mumbled to himself. He lied in bed, deep in thought when he suddenly opened his eyes. A smile grew on his face as he figured out who could get the teen to show more emotion.

* * *

At exactly seven, the usual Hamato routine started with a better feeling Mikey going about annoying Raph and the older to lash out playfully. Donnie quickly prepared his coffee, preparing for the arrival of his brother and noted to himself to drink more because of his late night and sat patiently, waiting for Raph to come downstairs. He drummed his fingers on the table while greedily drinking the energizing beverage.

As usual, Raph trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen, muttering about early mornings. He walked over to the fridge and began to search for something to appease his rumbling stomach. It took the teen a few moments to realize his younger brother quietly watching him.

Raph raised an eyebrow at Donnie. "You need something or did Mikey put some more stuff on my face?"

Fighting the sudden urge to smile at the memory of a Raph with make-up, Donnie replied. "Actually I do want to ask something of you."

"Yeah what is it?" The green-eyed teen asked with disinterest as he rummaged through the fridge.

Donnie adjusted his glasses. "I want you to meet up with Leo."

**Next chapter will have plenty of you favorite hothead! Until then, don't forget to review, fav, or follow if you liked.**


	10. Chapter 9: Revelations

**This chapter got done earlier than I thought it would. I still think it's okay though, even if I hardly edited. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to its respective owners.**

"So let me get this straight. You decided to ditch me the other day to hang out with the only person at school you're not supposed to hang out with, and then decided it would be gosh darn dandy to make me talk to him? Are you _crazy_?"

Donnie shook his head in exasperation at his hot-headed brother. With a sigh, he said. "Look Raphael, I know you don't like Leo, but he's not really all that bad. Just kind of guarded."

Raph raised an eyebrow. "And you think I'll be able to get him to talk? Gee Donnie. Great plan. I'm sure both of us, who didn't get along well the first time, will be able to become the best of buds after our second meeting."

"Raph, I know it's strange, but just trust me." Donnie continued. "You two are quite alike actually from what I've seen from Leo. And Mikey trusts him, and you don't want to let him down do you?" The taller teen gestured to their younger, spunkier brother who was currently transfixed on trying to shove all of his Trix into his mouth, not paying attention to his older brothers.

Scrunching his face, Raph grumbled. "Fine, I'll talk to him. But don't expect us to get too friendly, y'hear?"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "I get it Raph. I just think it'll be good to get to know him. Just think of it as getting to better know the enemy so you can strike accordingly later."

Raph gave a small smile. "I like that idea." He scrunched up a fist and slammed it into the palm of his other hand. "I just don't think I'll plan."

Donnie gave another sigh and stood, leaving the table. He passed the still distracted Mikey before heading towards the family's dojo. Gently he peeked into the darkened room, barely making out the shape of his sitting Sensei. Donnie crept slowly into the dojo and kneeled before his father.

"We're going to be heading off to school soon." Donnie informed his relaxed father. Master Splinter opened his dark eyes and gave a small nod to his son.

"I wish you all a good day, but before you go Donatello, I must ask you something."

Donnie looked curiously at his Sensei. "Yes?"

"Do you remember what I told you about the Orokus?" Master Splinter asked.

The brown-haired teen gave a hesitant nod. Splinter continued. "I do not wish to alarm you, but it is for you and your brothers' safety. In my meditations, I have detected more anger and danger from Oroku Saki. I believe he knows that we Hamatos are here, and will most likely soon be calling upon the Foot Clan to aid him."

Donnie's eyes widened. "But Sensei, how could he know we're here?"

Splinter shook his head. "I am not sure. Though I expect he may have known for some time before moving to New York. If he is aware that I am here, then he most likely has not come to New York for just any kind of business, but personal. I suggest extra caution from all of you."

"H-Hai Sensei." Donnie muttered, trying to hide his alarm. "I'll tell Raph and Mikey as soon as possible." He stood and began to leave the dojo when Splinter halted him. He turned towards his Sensei.

"I must warn you to come straight home after you are finished with school. I am not yet sure if Saki knows about you three, but I will not take any chances. As leader, I trust for you to inform and enforce this to your brothers."

"Don't worry, I will Sensei." Donnie assured. With a small bow, he left the dojo with a sick-feeling in his stomach.

Leonardo grasped his wrist that had already begun to swell. Unfortunately, with his father home, and in quite the bad mood, the teenager had been forced to endure extra training before going to school. No explanation was given to him, though he wished to ask, and now had to deal with the injuries that he hadn't been quick enough to avoid. Most were minor bruises and scratches, but Oroku Saki had been lucky.

During a sparring match, Oroku Saki had quickly moved to behind Leonardo and grabbed his vulnerable wrist. Sharply, he had twisted it and pressed it into his son's back. The teen bit his tongue, trying to hold in his scream of pain, before countering the painful attack. Though he had escaped soon after, his wrist had not been so lucky. Thankfully, he was ambidextrous and would be able to write with his left hand, though he would only be able to wield one katana for weapons practice that evening.

Grumbling to himself, Leonardo looked at the clock on his wall before turning his attention to his injured leg that had still been bugging him, especially throughout his training. Knowing he still had a good half hour before school started at eight, he rolled up his pants' leg. To his horror, the cut was red, with traces of yellow. He hesitantly touched it, feeling warmth.

Groaning to himself, the teen fell back into his bed. The cut was infected. He hadn't ever had an infected cut before. Usually he had smaller ones, due to him being completely focused on his training, but Sunday he had been thinking about his trip to the mall with Mikey. Leonardo's ointment generally took care of infection, but it seemed as if this cut was too large.

Leonardo contemplated on informing Donnie, knowing the other teen would be able to help, but just didn't know how. He had been taught that asking for help was a sign of weakness, the only thing he couldn't afford to have.

* * *

A young, five-year-old Leonardo sat sniffling quietly to himself in the corner of the house's main living room, though it was rarely used except for occasional business meetings that he wasn't allowed to join. The young boy tried to stop the tears that continually slipped down his reddened cheeks but couldn't stop the gentle flow. _It's not my fault._ He kept telling himself miserably.

It had been a couple of hours since the incident that had shaken him, but Leonardo could still feel the effects of fear clinging onto him. He had only wanted to impress his father, but now realized how foolish he had really been. Huddling in the dark room, Leonardo could feel the fear creeping back into his frightened soul as he fought to regain his consciousness from the enveloping feeling.

The correct term was acrophobia, but even the sound of it brought fear to Leonardo. He couldn't stand heights. He had no idea why they frightened him so, but whenever he tried to face his fear, he felt himself freeze up in panic and was unable to think of anything but fleeing to safety; if he could think at all.

Leonardo could still feel the traumatic memory burning freshly in his mind. It had started out as a normal training routine that usually drained all of his young energy at the end. Leonardo had to test his agility in a sort of course as he dodged shuriken and the occasional kick sent in his direction while maintaining awareness and speed to cover the obstacles in a faster time without injury. But his father had decided to set up a new obstacle; one that Leonardo had no idea he feared.

Running up to the wooden crates that had been stacked for him to climb, he quickly scaled the mountain. But stopping at the top to survey his next obstacle, he realized just how high up it was. The ceiling of the dojo was about nine feet with some extra inches. The crates were built up so Leonardo could fully stand, around three and a half feet. That meant that about six feet stood between him and the ground.

Before he knew it, Leonardo had begun to tremble fiercely. His mouth turned dry and his eyes widened as large as he could get them. He stood there for what felt like an eternity before he heard yelling from the far side of the room where his father was waiting.

"Leonardo! If this was a fight, you would be dead by now! _Get moving!_"

But Leonardo couldn't move his freezed muscles. His breathing began to increase in panic at seeing the floor looming beneath him and the frightening yells of his father. Tears sprung to his eyes as horror overtook him.

"Leonardo!"

The young boy snapped his head towards the direction of his enraged father. The man's eyes were blazing and he stalked up to his frightened son. Without a second thought, Saki rammed into the stack of crates, sending it and his son to the ground. Leonardo let out a cry as he tumbled down, landing on his stomach. He curled up into a ball and the tears and sobs overtook him. His small body racked in fear.

"Leonardo! Haven't I told you not to have weakness, yet you stood up there and made a complete fool of yourself! You are a disgrace to me and the rest of your ancestors!" Oroku Saki roared at him. "You are worthless. Now get out of my sight." He sneered, turning away from the curled up Leonardo.

Gingerly, Leonardo began to pick himself up, trying not to look up at his father. His bottom lip quivered as the tears still streaked freely from his eyes like a waterfall. The young boy slowly moved towards the doorway to the dojo, attempting a final look back. Oroku Saki had not moved, not facing him with his arms still crossed in front of his chest. His whole body was tense, waiting for Leonardo to leave. By him, the crates were strewn about; one even had been reduced to planks and splinters.

The raven-haired boy continued his lonely trek to leave the fear-ridden place, but the terror clung to him hungrily. Leonardo found a dark and empty corner of the living room and gently lowered himself to the ground, despite his body's aches. He sat with his arms holding his legs to his chest, not bothering to hide his anguish.

Leonardo waited for his fear to subside, waited for more than two hours before the effects of terror finally subsided enough for the sniffles to stop. His tears had stopped coming, leaving his eyes red and horrid looking. The young boy took a deep breath before carefully lifting himself up, despite his body screaming at him in protest. He limped back towards the dojo, knowing his father was still there.

Hesitating at first, he gingerly peeked his small head back into the horrifying room. Oroku Saki was still, waiting for an invisible enemy. Lethally, the man struck out at lightning-speed at his unseen opponent, his arm slicing through the air. He made know gestures suggesting he noticed the presence of his son.

Taking a deep breath, Leonardo fully entered the dojo, waiting for his father to say something. Saki made no intentions of responding to the boy, and continued to strike deadly hits into the tense air.

"Um, father?" Leonardo managed to get out, desperately wanting to be acknowledged. His father said nothing.

Leonardo tried again. "Father, please."

Saki continued to ignore him, focusing his attention on training.

Despite his fear, anger overcame Leonardo. "Father! Look at me!" He shouted, clenching his fists.

Finally, Oroku Saki turned his gaze over to his son. The look he gave the young boy was hard and cold.

Forgetting his sudden anger, Leonardo gulped. "I-I wanted to say sorry." He mumbled quietly.

Oroku Saki narrowed his piercing eyes. "I will take no apologies from you." He focused his attention back onto his training.

Biting his lip, Leonardo tried again. "But father. I-I didn't mean to get so scared."

"That doesn't matter." His father responded bitterly. "What matters is you failed and let weakness overcome you. Fear will do nothing but tear you down and lead others to believe that you are nothing but pitiful."

Struggling to fight the tears that threatened to once again spill, Leonardo replied. "I-I just wanted to make you proud. To show you I was strong."

Oroku Saki gave a grim laugh. "Well, you managed to fail that as well."

Leonardo felt himself grow weak, and left the dojo with the tears falling before he even managed to get to his room.

* * *

Leonardo shook his head, willing himself to forget the painful memory of failure. He focused himself on the problem in front of him; his leg. Not knowing what to do, he applied more ointment to it, trying to ignore how warm the injury was, and rolled his pant leg back down. With a final glance at the clock, he picked himself up and headed downstairs to finish readying himself for school.

Knowing he was going to regret it, Raph looked through the crowd of students, searching for the raven-haired teen his brothers had encouraged him to find. After awhile, he began to lose interest in the unsuccessful search. Grumbling to himself as he heard the bell ring for everyone to enter school, he noticed Leo stumbling slowly from towards the building. Wondering why he was struggling so, Raph walked over to the other teen.

"You aren't lookin' so hot today. You doin' alright?"

Leonardo gave him a tired glance. "Sorry, but I don't feel like talking right now."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Sure, when Mikey needs a buddy or Donnie gets curious you want to talk. But when I'm trying to be nice, I get brushed off."

Leonardo shook his head. "No, it's just-"

"Hey," Raph put his hands up. "I'm just saying." And with that, the brown-haired teen moved forward towards the school, trying not to turn when he heard Leo sigh tiredly.

* * *

"So have you talked to him yet?"

Raph glared at Donnie. "Jeesh. It's only lunch; I'll talk to him when I want to talk to him."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure." He returned his gaze back towards Leo, who was sitting with Mikey a few tables away. "I think he's doing worse." He commented with concern.

Raph grumbled. "I'm sure the rich boy has plenty of doctors that would love to make sure he's fine. Now forget about him."

"Oh, and you're not curious to why he's stumbling everywhere?" Donnie countered. "Yesterday he was the same way, but today is definitely worse. Even Mikey seems to have noticed."

The two teens watched their younger brother say something to Leo, who merely gave a small nod, a distant look in his eyes.

"I'm just worried is all." Donnie said, adjusting his glasses.

Raph rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Sensei would be glad to know that you're worried about how the enemy's not doing well."

Donnie glared at his brother. "You don't understand. Yesterday Leo said that he wasn't used to anyone caring about him."

The older teen shrugged. "He's probably just trying to get attention." Raph concluded.

"I don't think so." Donnie argued. "Maybe if you talked to him, you'd have more luck at finding what's wrong."

"Don, I tried to talk to him earlier. He brushed me off. Rich boy doesn't need anyone. Just leave him alone."

"Can you tell Mikey that?" Donnie rebounded, causing Raph to pause.

Recovering his composure, Raph scoffed. "Course I can. I'm his older brother right?"

"Yeah. I am too. Just please try to talk to Leo, okay? It's not like it's going to kill you."

Giving his younger brother a strange look, Raph snorted. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe."

* * *

The final bell rang, piercing through the quiet air and causing a stampede of students to rush out. Leonardo waited until it was less crowded before he gingerly started his painful trek out of the school. To his surprise, as soon as he stepped outside of his class, he was met with the same brown-haired, green-eyed teen.

"Raph, please." Leonardo groaned. "I really just want to get home."

Raph waved him off. "Yeah, yeah rich boy. But I promised that I would talk to you and I don't plan on going out on that promise, ya hear me?"

Stifling a sigh, Leonardo grumbled. "I get it. What do you want?"

Raph tried to hide a successful smile. "Alright good, I was hoping this wasn't going to get messy. But first we should probably go somewhere a lot better. This place sucks."

Not waiting for a response, Raph started his way towards the nearest exit, going slow enough so he knew Leonardo was following. Raph grabbed one of the two doors and swung it open, not trying to help Leonardo, and continued on. He walked down several blocks, slipping between passersby until he came upon a familiar alley. Reaching up to a fire escape, he grabbed the rickety ladder and heaved himself up. He climbed all the way to the top of the shorter building that he and his brothers occasionally came upon in some of their nightly excursions.

The brown-haired teen turned back to look down, seeing Leonardo silently struggling up the ladder. Raph noticed a small tinge of fear in the raven-haired teen's eyes, surprising Raph. He waited for his comrade to get close enough before reaching a hand down. Leonardo looked at it questioningly before gratefully grabbing it.

"Took you long enough to get up here." Raph grumbled while pulling up the other teen. "I was beginning to think you were scared or something." He felt Leonardo tense up beside him. Before the raven-haired teen could say something, Raph plopped himself down.

"Alright rich boy, so what is it about you that has my two bros so intrigued? Could it be because you're the son of the world-famous Oroku Saki? Or because they both feel bad for you in ways I don't understand?"

Leonardo took a deep breath. "I don't know." He admitted. "But they're really curious about my personal life."

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And what's so special about it?"

"Nothing." Leonardo replied coolly.

"Alrighty then." Raph said. "Then maybe it has something to do with that leg that seems to be bothering you? And why Donnie told me you said no one really cares about you?"

Leonardo winced. "I hurt it in training. It's nothing serious."

"Really?" Raph challenged. "Is that why you've been limping around for the past two days on it?"

"You don't have to be so nosy." Leonardo grumbled, narrowing his eyes. He turned away from Raph and crossed his arms, wincing when his swollen wrist bumped into his other arm.

Unfortunately, Raph noticed. "What's the matter?"

Leonardo shook his head. "Nothing." He lied.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and my favorite color is pink. Now let me see that." He stood and tried to grasp the other teen's arm. Leonardo's eyes widened.

"What? No!"

Leonardo tried to pull himself away, but Raph managed to grab the other teen's arm. He held it with an iron grip.

"Don't ask me why I'm being nice." Raph warned, still clutching Leonardo's arm. "I'm doing it for Donnie and Mikey." Gently, Raph rolled up the other teen's sleeve. Leo let him, not wanting to try and escape Raph's grip for fear of further injuring his wrist.

Raph bit his tongue as he saw how swollen the wrist was. "Now how'd ya do that?" He asked.

Leo shook his head. "Nothing much. Just training."

"Training too rough?" Raph scoffed. "How come nobody's done anything for it?"

"No one to do anything." Leo admitted softly. Raph grunted and let go of Leo's arm. Immediately the raven-haired teen rolled his sleeve back down.

"Alright." Raph grunted, trying to figure out what to do next. "You, uh, want me to look at your leg?" Leonardo looked over at him in surprise and confusion. "I ain't no doctor or anything," Raph huffed. "But it might help for someone look at it."

Leonardo glanced back uncomfortably. "That's nice and all, but I'll be fine really." He gave a hesitant nod as if to assure himself.

Raph's eyes softened a bit. "I'm only trying to help you. I'll admit I didn't want to, but if your leg is bothering you so much, someone should look at it. Assuming they haven't already…"

Leonardo shook his head. "No. No one's looked at it. I have an appointment though." He lied smoothly, feeling a bit guilty.

"And Donnie was worried about you." Raph scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I knew there was nothing wrong."

The brown-haired teen turned with a small smile on his face. The smile quickly drained from his face. "Exactly how did your wrist and leg get hurt though?" Raph gave Leo a curious glance.

"Training." Leo said quickly. He gave a shrug as Raph lifted an eyebrow. "I've been slacking lately."

"Yeah whatever." Raph said with a huff. "Now that I'm done here, I'll be leaving."

Raph gave Leo a last glance as he walked towards the fire escape and jumped down onto it.

Leo watched him in confusion at the sudden departure before also deciding to leave the building. _But first I have to get down._ He inwardly groaned.

* * *

Raph shoved his hands in his jeans pockets as he walked up the front steps to his home. He opened the door and shouted his arrival. Yawning, he started to the kitchen before yelping in surprise as he fell to the floor. Grumbling he looked up to see Splinter watching him with a piercing glare.

"Uh, something I can help you with Sensei?" He asked confused.

"Did Donatello not inform you that you are to return directly home after school?"

Raph rubbed his head as he stood. "Not that I remember." He shrugged. "He might've, why?"

Splinter gave a deep sigh. "In my meditations, I have found that Oroku Saki is enraged about something. I believe he knows about us being in New York and is trying to find us."

Shock coursed through Raph. "He knows we're here?" He narrowed his eyes, a sudden thought evolving in his mind. "Does that mean Leo does too?"

Splinter shook his head. "I do not know my son, but I believe it is something you must take precaution about."

Raph nodded, his green eyes blazing. "Don't worry Sensei. I'll make sure they don't find out about us."

"I trust that you will Raphael." Splinter said with a smile. He rested his hand on Raph's shoulder for a moment and left the room quietly.

Raph looked up to the ceiling, knowing his brothers were somewhere upstairs. "Don't worry guys," He breathed. "I'll make sure those Orokus don't bother us."

**I don't like writing Raph. I hope he came out sort of like Raph, though I know he was kind of out of character. But next chapter has more Mikey, so cheers! Don't forget to leave helpful/supportive reviews or fav/follow the story if you like it!**


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